Tell Me No More Lies
by skiingclimber
Summary: With Emma unsure of her vengeful twins whereabouts, she finds herself in even more of a panic than before.  When running is no longer an option, will Emma summon the courage to face the Mercer's and their possible wrath?
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Annie," Kristin stated, "what are you doing here?"

"Where's Alec?"

As if by magic, Alec appeared beside Emma. She couldn't believe that Annie had showed up in Phoenix, "Annie it's good to see you. How have you been?"

"Like you don't know," Annie shouted at Alec.

Ted had joined the scene as well. Emma was very confused. What was Annie doing here? What was going on? And where was Sutton?

"Annie, you need to calm down," Alec exclaimed.

"Where is she, Alec? Where's Emma?"

Alec stepped in front of everyone, "Why don't we go somewhere and talk?"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where she is."

Country club security had appeared and it only took moments to get her under control. Two guys grabbed her by the arms and tried to escort her away. They were succeeding, but not before she could say, "I'm taking my girls back. Don't you forget that."


	2. Ouch!

Chapter 1: Ouch!

Emma Becker stepped on the tennis court opposite Kristin, waiting for the ball to be served. It was the day after her birthday and she hadn't seen any sign of Sutton. Part of her worried, but part of her was happy to have more time with her family. Sutton was a spoiled little brat. She talked about her not taking advantage of the opportunities Emma had in Las Vegas, but Sutton did the same thing in Phoenix. She treated her parents like dirt. She hated her sister. She didn't appreciate how amazing her friends were. Sutton might have been given everything, but she certainly didn't think so.

The other problem was that she hadn't had a chance to talk to Annie. She'd appeared at the birthday party and then was whisked away by all of the people around her. She hadn't even been allowed contact with her. She knew that her parents were trying to distract her when Kristin had offered to play tennis with her today. She'd obliged, but only reluctantly. She needed to talk to Annie, but she couldn't raise any more suspicions than she already had.

Kristin served the ball over the net and Emma returned it with ease. Back and forth they went, neither side showing any sign of missing. Then, Emma backhanded the ball across the court, just out of Kristin's reach.

"Nice shot," she heard Ted shout. He must've finished his game of golf with Alec and made his way over to the courts. She turned and saw him standing on the sidelines watching the game.

"Thanks," Emma stated, preparing herself for the next rally. She bounced on the balls of her feet as Kristin fired the serve over the net. She returned the ball easy and prepared herself for the next return. Kristin hit it across the court, so Emma turned quickly to make the return. As she changed directions she heard a pop and then her knee gave out. She went crashing to the ground in a cloud of excruciating pain.

Ted watched as Kristin served the ball for the second point of the game. Sutton returned easily, but Kristin volleyed the ball back on the other side of the court. As Sutton went to alternate directions, she crashed to the ground. The ball bounced by her and she showed no signs of getting up. Without thinking, Ted rushed the court. He knelt down beside his daughter. She was clutching her left leg and trying not to cry. Kristin appeared beside him, looking as concerned as he felt.

"Sutton," he called, "where does it hurt?"

She didn't move, "It's my knee," she answered through clenched teeth.

"Same one as before," Kristin noted.

Ted put his hand on her shoulder and then looked around the court. He saw a club employee walking toward them, "Is everything okay?" He asked as he reached them.

"Can you get the club's athletic trainer?"

"Of course," the boy said before rushing off.

Ted turned back to his daughter, "It's okay Sutton. Help will be here soon."


	3. Allies

Chapter 2: Allies

Hours later, Laurel was sitting on the couch when she heard the door swing open. Moments later, she heard the familiar rhythm of crutches on the wood floor and then Sutton appeared in the doorway. She was sporting a full length knee brace on her left leg. Laurel put down her magazine and turned her attention to her sister, "Hey, Sutton. How're you doing?"

"Okay," she answered.

"Do you need anything, Sweetheart?" Their mom answered coming up behind her.

"No, it's okay. I think I'm just gonna head up to my room. Thanks though."

Sutton started toward her room and no one tried to stop her. When she finally disappeared from view Laurel was the first to speak, "So what's the verdict?"

"Torn ACL," her dad said as he entered the room, "she has a consult with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow."

"Is it really that serious?"

"With how involved she is with tennis she's probably gonna need it."

"What happened?"

"She turned too quickly and her knee just gave out," her mom explained.

Laurel nodded, "I think I'm gonna go talk to her," she explained. She felt bad for Sutton. She'd worked so hard this year, and now it was all for not. Her season was over and there was nothing she could do. Laurel walked away from her parents and headed in the direction of Sutton's room. As she stepped in front of the frosted glass, she heard Sutton on the other side sounding very upset, "Don't you think it's weird that we haven't heard from her. She was so set on ruining me and now she just disappears again. What's with that?"

"You need to calm down," Ethan's voice cut through, "You just tore your ACL and all you care about is finding her. Can you ever just think about yourself?"

"I am thinking about myself. If I don't know where she is, I don't know when she's gonna strike. She could walk through this door tomorrow and take it all back. I don't want to get blindsided again."

There was silence and Laurel knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Laurel," she said, "Can I come in?

"Just a second," Sutton exclaimed. She waited a few moments. Laurel knew that it was to sneak Ethan out of the window. Then Sutton called, "Come in."

Laurel turned the handle and pushed the door open. She found Sutton swinging her legs onto her bed, "Hey," Laurel greeted, "how're you doing?"

"You asked me that before."

"And you told me the official 'I don't wanna talk about it' answer. I'm asking what the real answer is."

"I said I'm okay, Laurel. Honest, that is the answer."

"I don't get it," Laurel exclaimed, "you tear your ACL in front of both our parents and you don't want to milk that attention for all it's worth. Who are you and what have you done with Sutton?"

"Is it so hard to believe that maybe I don't want them to worry about me?"

"Yes," Laurel stated, "yes it is. Last year when you sprained your knee you didn't pass up an opportunity for someone to do something for you. Why the sudden change?"

"Laurel I know that I haven't been the best...person in the past, but I'm trying to do better. I don't want to worry them, because they've spent enough time doing that recently."

Laurel watched as Sutton winced at the pain. Laurel took a seat on the edge of Sutton's bed, "Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah," Sutton answered, "mostly it just throbs."

"Didn't they give you some pain meds?"

"Yeah, but I feel...drunk when I take them. After what almost happened the last time I was drunk I really don't feel like reliving it."

"What almost happened?"

"What almost happened?"

Emma panicked. Why had she said that? What was she going to say to remedy it? She couldn't very well tell her about nearly being assaulted by her foster brother. Then she remembered the other thing that almost happened that night, "The night we played Never Have I Ever Ethan and I..."

"Seriously," Laurel stated, "he tried to sleep with you while you were wasted."

"I wasn't wasted," Emma defended. Laurel gave her the "seriously" look. They both knew she was wasted, "Okay so I was, but he didn't try and sleep with me. I tried to sleep with him."

"So what happened? Why didn't you guys?"

"Because I was wasted and Ethan's a gentleman. He scooped me into his arms and put me to bed. He left and I fell asleep."

"Why wouldn't you want to relive that night?"

"Because you don't want your first time with a guy to be when you're intoxicated."

"I thought you already..."

"I did. I meant with Ethan specifically," Emma backtracked. She kept forgetting that her twin sister was a not only a vindictive bitch, but a slutty one at that. She reached down on to the splint and began to undo the velcro. Her knee was throbbing. As the splint fell to the side and her knee became visible she heard an audible gasp escape from Laurel's lips.

"Oh my god. Your knee is the size of a grapefruit."

"Yup," Emma nodded, "could you get me some ice? It's really bothering me."

"Sure," Laurel stated standing up, "but don't think this gets you out of telling me more of this story. I want to know everything about you and Ethan, especially what you were talking about before I came in."

Emma perked up just as Laurel disappeared from the room, "Wait, what?"

Laurel didn't turn back. Now Emma was really panicking. What had she heard? Her and Ethan had been discussing Sutton's odd disappearance. They were trying to figure out how they were gonna find her. They were talking about what they were going to do about Annie. They had said so many things that would ruin her cover, so many things that would end everything. What had she heard?

Minutes later, Laurel reappeared with an ice pack and many many questions. She grabbed two pillows from the bed and carefully propped up Emma's knee.

"Thanks Laurel."

"No problem," she said taking a seat on the bed, "Alright now whose set on ruining you and what is she taking back?"

"Nisha," Emma answered quickly, "she told me she was going to take back her title as the number one singles player."

"Uh-huh. So is 'not knowing where she is' a metaphor for what...her unpredictability? Come on Sutton, what is really going on?"

` "I wish I could tell you," Emma stated, "but this is something you can't have any part of, and what were you doing listening in on me and Ethan's conversation in the first place?"

"I wasn't listening in. I came to talk to you and I could hear you through the door. I'm surprised Mom and Dad didn't hear you too. You weren't being very discrete."

Emma realized that Laurel was right. She'd been so upset about the fact that they couldn't find Sutton, that she hadn't had a chance to talk to Annie, and that she now had a torn ACL that she hadn't thought about who could hear her. She wanted this to be over. She wanted Sutton to just walk through the door and take it all back, because then she could stop lying to all of the people that she cared about, "Laurel, I really do want to tell you everything, but it really is better if you don't know this. This whole search for my birth mother has caused a lot of questions that I'm trying to find the answer to, and I don't want to pull you into it."

"Okay," Laurel started, "I know we haven't had this whole sisterly bond thing in the past, and I don't know what changed that, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything. You've been so nice to me and actually given me decent advice, so I want to return the favor. I promise you can tell me almost anything and it won't change what I think of you."

"What if I told you I wasn't Sutton and I was actually her...identical twin sister, Emma...ummmm...Becker...from...Las Vegas...and the real Sutton was now seeking revenge on me for stealing her life. What would you say to that?"

For a moment, Laurel was still. Emma thought she might have blown her cover, but then Laurel burst out laughing, "Oh...my...god. How long have you been thinking about that one, Sutton?"

"C'mon seriously, Laurel. What would you think?"

"I don't know," Laurel answered, "and why do you care about my answer anyways. It's not like it's true or anything."

"Right," Emma added, "I just thought it would be interesting. If you found out that I wasn't who you thought I was."

"Well you haven't been for the past few weeks. Ever since we got back from Paris, you've been...nice. You let me ride in your car, you let me hang out with your friends, you give me actual advice. Have I questioned your motives?"

"Yes," Emma stated, "I told you 'I love you' right before my birthday party and your first thought was that I had an ulterior motive."

"That was different," Laurel stated, "you sounded like you meant it and you've never meant it before. How was I to know that you all of a sudden grew a heart?"

"I'm your sister, Laurel. No matter how horrible I am to you, I will always love you. I'm sorry that I haven't made that obvious, but I do, and I always will. Don't ever forget that."

"Okay, you really need to stop with the mushy sister stuff, because eventually I'm gonna cry," she stated wiping a tear from her eye, "and you know how ugly I am when that happens."

Laurel wrapped her arms around Emma. At first she was surprised, but she returned the favor. The two held each other for a few minutes before Laurel slid away, "Well I'm gonna go see if Mom needs any help with dinner," Laurel stated as she slipped out of the room. Just before she reached the door, however, she turned back, "To answer your question, it wouldn't matter if you were someone else. I like the new you, whoever she may be."

Laurel pulled the door closed behind her. For the first time since she'd been here she felt at ease with her secrets. Screw Sutton. If she wanted to expose Emma, she could. Laurel was evidence enough that Emma was the better person in all of this and that people would understand that...eventually. She'd fixed everything. Whether Sutton thought so, or not, wasn't the issue. Emma cared about these people and these people cared about Emma...pretending to be Sutton. They would definitely be angry at first, but when they realized that the good Sutton, the one that everyone preferred was actually Emma, could they stay mad at her? They would realize her heart was in the right place, wouldn't they?

Emma adjusted the ice pack on her knee and then grabbed the computer from beside her. Ethan had placed it on the bed while she was talking to him. She flipped it open and went to Sutton's Facebook page. Word about her had spread like wildfire. Apparently when you collapsing into a sobbing heap on the tennis court at a country club, it's big news. There were a lot of comments from her class mates. Most said, "Heard what happened? Hope you're okay." Some were a little more informal, but they were generally good comments. The only really bad one came from Nisha, "Wow, another knee injury right before regionals. Looks like someone's scared to lose...again."

The comment had been posted moments ago and Emma wanted to just tear her apart. As she placed her hands on the keyboard she thought about what to say. Should she attack Nisha directly? No, that was what she wanted. She had to dig at her indirectly. She scrolled up to the status box and began to type. She pressed send and read the status she had just posted:

_A torn ACL is not the way I wanted this season to end._

She watched for a few moments as her page flooded with comments. Char was the first, "You can't be serious."

She scrolled down to Nisha's comment to watch the backlash ensue. People she barely knew, which meant Sutton barely knew them, were defending her, "Can't fake a torn ACL," Derek stated.

"Wow, another bitch comment from Nisha," Mads stated, "Looks like someone just put her foot in her mouth...again."

Emma loved Sutton's friends. They were fiercely loyal and devoted to each other. It was another thing Sutton had taken advantage of without appreciating. She lied to them, she kept things from them, and Emma had suffered the backlash. She'd tried to mend that bridge and she'd done a fairly good job of doing so. They didn't trust her as much as they trusted Sutton, but at least they weren't upset anymore.

She thought about how they would react to her telling them the truth. They'd been lied to so much. She couldn't decide whether Kristin or Mads and Char would be more hurt, more upset. Kristin trusted her unconditionally. Mads and Char had already been hurt by something Sutton had done. Would they believe that the girl they'd gotten to know was her? Would they look past all of the lies and see how good a person Emma was? It would take time, but Emma wanted it to be true. She needed it to be true.

As she looked at the screen and watched even more comments flood her page, she felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. What was going to happen to her? So she had one person on her side, was that enough to persuade all of the others. Sutton had made it very clear that she was going to ruin her. What was she supposed to do when that happened? She had witnessed first hand how much control Sutton had over her life. She didn't know what to do? She had to do something, but what?


	4. Awake

Chapter 3: Awake

Sutton suddenly became aware of the cold floor beneath her body. She forced her eyes open, only to find herself laying on the floor of some room. She looked around, but she couldn't see much. She knew the floor was either tile or cement, most likely she was in a basement, but she didn't know where. She couldn't even remember how she'd gotten there. She was driving to the party, ready to expose Emma for the fraud she was when...someone popped up in her backseat. She drove into the lake and apparently she'd managed to get out of the car, though she couldn't remember how. She remembered being conscious, momentarily, on the shore, but that was all. Where was she? What was going on?


	5. Perfection

Chapter 4: Perfect

Ted Mercer poked his head into Sutton's bedroom. He'd knocked, but she hadn't answered and it was dinner time, "Sutton," he whispered.

There was no answer, so he ventured farther into the room. Careful, not to make much sound he carried to full tray slowly across the room. Sutton was lying on her bed, her leg elevated by several pillows. Her brace was unfastened and an ice pack rested on her knee. As Ted approached, he realized Sutton was asleep. He placed the tray of food on her night stand and took the ice pack off of her knee. Then, he grabbed her laptop and carried it to her desk. As he set it down he heard, "Dad."

Ted turned around to see Sutton starting to wake up. He rushed to her side, "Sh honey. Go back to sleep," he said brushing the hair off of her face. Sutton's eyes slowly closed again and Ted felt relieved. She'd had a long day. She deserved to get some sleep.

When he was sure she'd fallen back asleep he stepped away from her bed and slipped out of the room. The door clicked closed behind him and he made his way back to the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he saw Kristin putting the last bit of food on the table as Laurel put the last fork at her seat. Kristin looked up and spotted him standing in the doorway, "How's Sutton?"

"Asleep," Ted stated, moving toward the table and taking his seat.

"That's good," Kristin stated, pulling her own chair, "she's had a crazy two days."

"That's an understatement," Laurel muttered, sitting down at the table.

"Have you heard from the Chamberlains about Annie?" Kristin questioned Ted.

"Uh no," Ted answered simply, "not yet. But, you know Annie is a sore spot for Phyllis. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear from them for a few days."

"What's the whole deal with her, anyways?" Laurel stated.

"She left what...17 years ago," Kristin stated, "No word of where she was going or what she was doing, she just up and left. No one even knew whether she was alive until last night."

Ted noticed that he was bouncing his leg under the table. He thought Alec had the situation under control. He thought Annie was under control. Now, she was back and ready to cause trouble. How much longer could he keep these secrets buried?

The dinner conversation drifted slowly away from the events of the past two days. They talked about Justin, which still made Ted's skin crawl. The thought of those two...It made him shudder. Laurel was supposed to be his little girl and now she was...Ted couldn't even think about it.

Ted chuckled at his youngest daughter enthusiasm about Justin. He was happy with the direction his family was going. He didn't want Annie to ruin that. He didn't want all of the trouble to blow up everything. He didn't want to lose everything he'd worked so hard to keep. Ted took another bite of his dinner and smiled at the sight of his happy family. He liked the picture, but he knew Annie wouldn't let it last.


	6. Questions

Chapter 5: Questions

Emma's eyes shot open at the sound of something crashing to the ground. She began to refasten the velcro straps of the brace. She located her crutches leaning against the side table. That was when she noticed the tray of food on the side table. Sutton's favorite: tamales. Pressing down on the ridiculously soft mattress, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She grabbed the crutches and placed one on each side of her. As she pressed down on the crutches and pushed her body up onto her good leg, she realized how much harder everything was.

She managed to get herself situated and then began her slow hobble out into the kitchen. As she rounded the corner she saw Ted and Kristin bent down on the floor cleaning up something. She saw Kristin look up at her. She looked upset about something, and she was pretty sure it wasn't the dish on the ground. Kristin wiped something from her eye and then said, "Sutton, I thought you were asleep."

"I heard a crash," Emma explained, "what happened?"

"I dropped a stack of plates," Ted stated. He stood lifting the broken stack of plates and placing them on the counter, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Emma stated with distance.

"There's dinner on your bedside table," Kristin explained, "I can heat them up for you if you want."

"That's okay," Emma stated, "you don't have to do that."

"Alright," Kristin conceded, "let us know if you need anything."

Emma nodded and turned to go down the hallway, but she didn't venture more than five feet. She wanted to hear what Ted and Kristin were talking about, because it probably had to do with Annie. She hobbled right up to edge of the hallway and strained her ears to hear.

"Why do you keep avoiding the question?"

"I told you I have no idea why she left. I don't know why Phyllis blames me and Alec and I have no idea what she's talking about now."

"Phyllis says she here for her girls. What girls are she talking about?"

"Kristin," Ted stated sharply, "I don't know what she's talking about. I don't know why you are so hooked on this?"

"She kept looking at Sutton," Kristin explained, "and Phyllis says she keeps looking at all of the pictures of her. What is going on, Ted?"

"How should I know?"

"Maybe because you and Alec are the ones that Phyllis blames for her disappearance. Ted if there is anything I should know I want to know it from you."

"There's nothing to tell," Ted answered angrily, "why don't you believe me?"

Emma couldn't bear to hear anymore. She had never seen Kristin waver on her trust in anyone, and now she was losing trust in the person she should trust the most. Emma wanted to go back down there and tell Kristin everything she knew. She wanted to tell Kristin that Annie was her mother, that for some reason Alec and Ted were trying to keep that a secret. She wanted to be honest, but she couldn't. She had to do exactly what she always did: sit back and wait. She turned and headed back down the hall toward her bedroom. She was tired, and tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	7. Protection

Chapter 6: Protection

The following morning, Sutton woke to the sound of footsteps by the door. The jangling of keys and then the turning of the door knob provided some comfort. As the door swung open to reveal a lighted escape she noticed there was someone blocking her way. As more light filtered in she strained her eyes to see his/her face. Then, everything became clear, and she gasped.

Alec Ryback sipped his coffee in the kitchen, waiting for the phone call. He'd promised to call him in the morning for instructions. Mads stomped out in her heels, smiling cordially and going to the fridge.

"How's Sutton?" He asked.

"Torn ACL," Mads explained, reaching into the fridge for some yogurt, "She has a surgery consult today."

"It's really a shame," Alec noted, "she was having such a good season."

"Yeah," Mads answered, "and now we have to listen to Nisha boast."

At that point his phone rang. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, "This is Alec."

"Mr. Ryback," Derek answered, "I have her, just like you asked. What do you need me to do now?"

Alec watched as Mads rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. He wished she didn't think of him that way, but he couldn't take the time now to change that. He needed to deal with her, "Meet me at my house. We'll talk more then."

"Okay," Derek stated, "and then all of the charges are dropped. No more blackmail, no more favors, I'm free."

"That's what I promised you," Alec answered, "I won't go back on it this time."

"Thank you Mr. Ryback. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Alec clicked his phone off and took another sip of coffee. Everything was working out perfectly. He just needed her in control.

Sutton sat in the backseat of some kid's, she thought his name was Derek, car on her way to God knows where. He'd grabbed her from the room, walked her, briskly, to the car and then got in the front seat to call Alec. That was the only thing that had kept her in the car. Alec could straighten this all out. He would believe her story. He would know what to do.

The car pulled into the familiar driveway and watched as the car rolled slowed to a stop. Alec stepped out of his house and met the boy halfway. They chatted for a while and then both of them came back to the car. The boy got in the driver's seat as Alec opened her door.

"Hello Sutton," Alec greeted, "It's nice to see you back in Phoenix. Why don't we go inside and chat?"

Alec gave that creepy smile of his and stepped out of the way to let Sutton out. Sutton climbed out and he closed the door behind her. As the boy pulled out of the driveway Sutton turned on Alec, "How'd you know it was me?"

"C'mon Sutton," Alec stated, "you're my god daughter. I know when someone is impersonating you. Now, how about you and I go inside and we can talk about all of this."

Though reluctant, Sutton did oblige. Alec had always been there for her. No matter how creepy his smile was, he cared about her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.


	8. Stubborn

Chapter 7: Stubborn

Emma hobbled around her room trying to to get ready. The crutches and massive knee brace were making it very difficult to do so. Putting on a pair of shorts had been a test of her own flexibility. As she was about to head downstairs, she took one last look in the mirror. She dressed in a pair of denim shorts, and a typical Sutton top: coral racerback tank. As she pushed a fly-away hair from her face the door opened. It was Kristin.

"You're awake," she said in surprise.

"Shouldn't I be."

"I just thought that you might want to stay home today with everything that's happened this weekend."

"Well I don't," Emma started, "that may be surprising, but I don't want to spend all day thinking about the consult this afternoon."

"Are you sure you're up for it," Kristin questioned, "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I'm sure, Mom."

"Alright," Kristin stated, "I'll go tell Laurel."

Emma nodded and Kristin slipped out of the room. Emma followed close behind with a backpack in tow. There was no way she was even attempting to carry one of Sutton's purses around school. She'd slung it over both shoulders and then headed toward the kitchen. If Nisha thought she was still faking, all of her beliefs would be shattered when she hobbled into school.

Sutton sat in the Ryback living room, staring at Alec across from her. For a few minutes they'd been like this, not knowing where to start. Finally, Alec broke the silence.

"So where you been, Sutton?"

"Here and there," Sutton stated.

"What you been doing?"

"Trying to get my life back," Sutton stated, "that girl stole my life from me. I just want it back."

"Well that's interesting," Alec stated, "because I got a call from a friend in L.A who said they saw you there and that you were looking for an...Annie Hobbs. Does that ring a bell?"

"Maybe I was," Sutton deflected, "doesn't change the fact that she stole my life right out from under me."

"You see," Alec started, "if she did steal your life, why were you in L.A.?"

"That's not important," Sutton stated trying to get off of the subject of L.A.

"Oh I think it is," Alec stated, "I think you figured out who your birth mother is. I think you figured it out and you had that girl take your place so you could follow it. I think when it blew up in your face, you blamed it all on her even though she'd done everything you asked her to do."

"Why are you on her side?"

"I'm not on her side," Alec stated, "I'm not on your side. I'm trying to get down to the bottom of this. Sutton, I need to know everything you found out about your birth mother, right now."

"And what makes you think I know anything more than the lies my parents have told me over and over again?"

"Cut the crap, Sutton. You know more than you're letting on, and if you want to get your life back I suggest you start talking."

Sutton glared at him. On the one hand she wanted to question Alec about his involvement. On the other she didn't want anyone to know why she had left in the first place, or that she knew who Emma actually was. He wasn't getting anything out of her, at least not yet.

"I can't believe you didn't stay home," Laurel exclaimed as they drove toward school.

"Laurel," Emma stated, "I might have surgery. I really don't want to spend all day thinking about that."

She was sitting in the passenger seat of Sutton's convertible trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her knee. Laurel sat in the driver's seat, looking ecstatic at the opportunity to drive "her" car, "Whatever," she stated, "are you sure it's not because of what Nisha said last night?"

"I won't say it had no part," Emma noted.

"I knew it," Laurel stated, "her jaw is going to drop when she sees you. So is everyone else's, but hers will be the best."

Emma reached into her backpack and pulled out the bottle of Tylenol. She threw two in her mouth and then took a swig of water. Her knee hurt so much, but she wasn't going to stay home. She wanted to be at school. She wanted to see Nisha's face. She didn't want to think about the possibility of surgery on the Mercer's bill. When the truth came out how would they feel? How would they react to having a massive medical bill that wasn't for their own kid? She didn't know, and she didn't want to think about it.

As the car pulled into the Arroyo parking lot, Emma closed her eyes. She needed to push all of those worries away and bask in the glory of "being Sutton." Laurel pulled the car into a parking space and the car came to a stop. Emma grabbed her crutches from the backseat and got out. There was an immediate response. No one expected her to be here. As she swung forward she smiled. Whatever happened, she was going out with a bang.

Ethan stood at his locker grabbing his books for first period when he heard something odd. He heard someone call, "Hey Sutton."

Sutton? Why was someone calling Sutton's name...unless. He turned toward the front door to find Emma leaning on her crutches right beside him, smiling. He looked at her, stunned.

"Surprised to see me here?"

"Uh yeah," Ethan exclaimed, "You spent four hours in the emergency room yesterday. Do you ever slow down?"

She looked contemplative, "No, not really," she stated.

Ethan rolled his eyes. He loved Emma, but she needed to take a break. The last two days had been chaos for her. Her birth mother had come rolling into town, she'd screwed up her knee, and she had no idea where her crazy twin sister was lurking. Yet, she still managed to surprise everyone. She'd showed up, looking incredible, despite everyone's preconceptions.

Ethan closed his locker and then accompanied Emma to hers. He smiled at her will, at her strength, at...her. How could a girl who'd been through so much, come out so good. She was honest, kind, loyal. She cared about the people around her, even if they didn't care about her. Ethan could tell she was worried about Sutton's safety. No matter how often she said she was looking out for herself, he knew she was worried about Sutton. He was worried about Sutton, but for different reasons. He was worried about what she might do. He couldn't control that, however. He could only sit and wait to protect the girl he loved.


	9. Panic

Chapter 8: Panic

Alec Ryback watched Sutton's chest rise and fall. She'd given him nothing, but he hadn't given her anything either. They were at a stalemate and he wasn't going to let himself break. He'd gotten up to grab something to eat and when he'd returned she was asleep. Apparently, she hadn't slept well in Derek's basement. Alec pulled a blanket over Sutton's still body and then stepped into the hallway to make a phone call. It was time Ted knew what was going on.

The phone rang twice before he managed to get Ted on the phone, "Dr. Mercer."

"Ted," Alec started, "we have a...situation."

"What's the problem, Alec?"

"You need to see it to believe it," Alec explained, "can you meet me at home?"

"My rounds don't start for another hour," he started, "I guess I could stop by quickly right now."

"Perfect," Alec responded, "see you in ten."

He clicked the phone off and glanced back at Sutton. She was still asleep on the couch. Oddly, she looked peaceful. Alec knew that she had sought out Annie. He knew that her detainment at the institution is what got her sent to Las Vegas. He'd planned on bringing her back then, but then that girl had taken her away. He couldn't very well take her when she was already on her way to Emma's life. He'd returned to Phoenix, ready for his next move.

Ten minutes later, Ted Mercer knocked on the door of the Ryback home, feeling very anxious. What was so important that he had to see it before work.

Alec opened the door and sighed, "She's in the living room."

Ted looked at him, very confused, but then stepped into the living room. He could see the dark hair of someone laying on the couch, but he couldn't tell who it was. As he walked around the side of it, he realized the situation, "Emma?"

"Sutton," Alec corrected, "this is Sutton."

Ted looked at the girl laying on the couch and realized that it could have been his daughter. Her and Emma looked shockingly similar. He knew they were identical twins, but he didn't realize how identical they were. It was the same hair, same face, same everything. He'd noticed a change in "Sutton," but he'd never assumed it was a completely different person, "This is Sutton," he stated, "so the girl that is with me is..."

'Emma," Alex finished, "feel pretty dumb don't you."

"So, where the hell has Sutton been for the past few weeks?"

"She's not talking, but I know for a fact she was looking into Annie in L.A. I wouldn't be surprised if she found her too and that's why Annie's back. You remember what we told Sutton, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he answered, feeling scared. For three weeks Sutton had not been with him and he didn't noticed. How had he missed that? How could a complete stranger fool him like that? Maybe it was because he wanted to believe it was Sutton that had changed. He wanted to believe she'd let go of the investigation, but obviously she hadn't. She'd gone off to L.A. and had her twin sister take her place. Now all of his secrets were about to be exposed. What was he supposed to do about that? "How'd they even find each other?"

"I don't know. Those records are sealed. I don't know how she would've gotten a hold of them. You gotta know, Ted, I did everything I could."

"I know you did," Ted answered, "I just don't know what to do. All of this is coming apart at the seams. First Annie shows up, then Su-Emma gets hurt, and now I find out that the Sutton I thought had changed, that I thought had become a better person, isn't actually Sutton. What am I supposed to do?"

"...and now I find out that the Sutton I thought had changed, that I thought had become a better person, isn't actually Sutton. What am I supposed to do?"

Sutton heard every word. Every dagger, every sword, every painful truth cut through her like she was paper. Her own father preferred Emma. What had she done to deserve this? What had she done wrong? It wasn't fair. Emma was the one to blame, not her. Emma stole her boyfriend. Emma stole her life. Yeah, she had given her the opportunity, but it was Emma that had taken advantage. She was the liar. She was the fugitive. Her, not Sutton.

Sutton managed to keep her eyes shut and her body still. She was hurt, but she needed to know where this conversation was going.

"You need to calm down," Alec stated, "I'm trying to deal with Annie, so you have to try and deal with Sutton and Emma. Mads has ballet and Thayer is still working with the company, so I can keep Sutton here until six. You have until then to get this all figured out."

"What am I supposed to do? Tell Kristin that Sutton has a twin and, surprise, she's the one that has been living with us for the past few weeks. That's just going to cause more questions."

"And you answer those questions according to the script. Ted, it's not over yet. We've kept this buried for 17 years, I'm not letting it get out now."


	10. Love

Chapter 9: Love

At 3 o' clock Kristin opened the door for her daughter as she swung through. Sutton's head hung low and she looked as if she might cry. The surgeon had basically told her surgery was her only option. He'd explained there was a complete tear to the ACL, damage to the meniscus and some slight damage to the MCL as well. If she wanted to ever play tennis again, she was going to need surgery.

As she came into the house she saw Ted pacing in the living room. When he heard the click of Sutton's crutches on the floor he looked up. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly, he was calm and normal, "Hey Sutton, how'd it go?"

Sutton didn't answer and Ted looked to Kristin. She shook her head and Ted immediately understood.

"Don't worry," he said, "you'll get through it and you'll come back better than ever next year."

"Thanks for trying to help, Dad, but I'm not in the mood for cheering up. I think I'm just gonna go to my room and do homework if you don't mind."

"Of course honey," Kristin answered putting her hand on Sutton's shoulder. Sutton hobbled out of sight and Kristin looked to Ted.

"You left in kind of a hurry this morning," she noted, "is everything okay?"

"It will be," Ted stated. There was still tension from last night and he knew that he was the one that needed to apologize. He'd been the jerk, not Kristin, "Look I'm sorry for last night. With everything that's happened I wasn't thinking straight. I was worried about Sutton and I was thinking about Annie. I shouldn't have freaked out like that."

"Apology accepted," Kristin stated, "How was your day?"

"Long," Ted explained, "How was yours?"

"It was fine. Until I found out our daughter needed surgery. Ted, I was more emotional than she was. He said it was her only option and she just nodded and listened. She didn't throw a fit. She didn't demand him find another option. She just nodded."

Ted was silent. It was as if he was trying so hard not to tell her something. She waited, but he said nothing. He nodded, but he said nothing. She waited a little longer, but all he said was, "I'm gonna go talk to Sutton." He moved quickly out of the room, leaving a confused Kristin in his wake.

Emma propped her leg up on a pillow and grabbed her laptop. She had so much homework to do and not enough focus to do it. Her knee throbbed, she was worried about the surgery, and she still had no idea where her crazy bitch of a sister was. She tried to focus on her english essay, but then there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"Dad."

"Come in."

Moments later, Ted was walking into her room and taking a seat on her bed, "How're you doing, sport?"

"I'm dealing."

"You know no one would fault you if you weren't."

"Why fight it? Everything is messed up and I can't change that. All I can do is move forward and adjust."

"When'd you realize that?"

Emma didn't know what to say. She'd always been that way. She'd moved a lot and there was a point where she just got tired of being angry about it. For as long as she could remember, she had done her best to roll with the punches, "I don't know," she answered, "when I got tired of being angry at the world."

"What do you have to be angry about?"

"Nothing," Emma defended, "I used to be angry because of all of the secrets and lies. I used to be angry because I couldn't understand why someone could just give me up. I didn't feel like it was fair. But, now, I don't think that anymore. I realize how much worse off I could have been. I could've ended up in foster care with parents that abused me. I could've ended up on the streets. I am so grateful for the life you and Mom have given me. I don't want you to forget that."

"I won't," Ted stated, "Emma."

"I won't, Emma."

Ted watched as Emma's expression went from honest gratitude to absolute surprise, and then to paralyzing fear. He could see all of the thoughts running through her head.

"Well don't you have anything to say for yourself."

Emma didn't answer.

"Emma," Ted started, "this secret isn't going to stay buried much longer. It would be in your best interest to tell me your side."

"You wouldn't believe me anyways."

"Why would you say that? Because you lied to me and Kristin for three weeks. Because you are a stranger who has taken over my daughter's life. Emma I have no reason to believe you, but you have nothing else to lose by telling me your story. So start talking."

A cry escaped Emma. Tears burst from her eyes as she explained, "I was in trouble. The only person I could turn to was Sutton. She told me that she'd help me, that we'd figure this out, so I jumped on a bus to Phoenix and met her the next morning. That was when she came up with the idea to switch places. She wanted to follow a lead on our birth mother. It was supposed to be two days, but that obviously didn't happen."

Ted nodded, but he was confused. He looked at her tear-stained face and he didn't know whether it was because she was caught or because this story was true. If it was, what kind of trouble would she get into that the Websters couldn't handle. Why would she have to run?

"I am so sorry I lied to you," Emma stated, "you have no reason to believe me, but every moment I spent with you was genuine."

"How can you say that it was genuine when you were pretending to be someone else?"

"Everything I did, everything I said was exactly what me, Emma, would have done or said. All the times I said 'thank you' and 'I love you.' Every time I came to you or Kristin for advice. That was me asking, not me trying to do what Sutton would do. I don't even know Sutton that well. She found me a few months ago and we talked over video chat, but it wasn't like I learned enough about her to pull this off for very much longer. The only reason I took her place was because it was a lot better than heading back to my foster family in Nevada."

"Wait, foster care? What happened to the Websters?"

"I've been in foster care since I was three," Emma explained, "I didn't even know about the Websters until Sutton found them in California."

Ted was even more confused, "What happened?"

Emma didn't answer right away. She looked hesitant to continue. It was like she was trying to figure out how much information was too much information. Finally she asked, "If I tell you everything I know, do you promise to answer any questions I have about mine and Sutton's birth mother?"

Emma had surprised him. She seemed like a sweet girl, but she knew how to gamble. Ted wanted to know how Emma had ended up in foster care, and she knew it. He wanted to know what she knew about the adoptions, and she knew it. If he wanted to find out anymore from her, he was going to have to oblige. This didn't have to be a power struggle. She'd offered to give up everything she knew, as long as he did the same. It was more important for him to find out what she knew. He could stick to the script. She didn't have one. "A question for a question. I ask you one, you ask me one."

Emma conceded.

"So what happened with the Websters?"

"According to Sutton," Emma stated, "The Websters did adopt me and I did live with them, but then our birth mother showed up and took me back...why did you hide that Annie was mine and Sutton's mother?"

"Annie was...unstable. That part was in fact true. I thought it would be better for everyone if no one knew that Annie was in fact your mother, because it would keep you and Sutton from getting hurt."

Emma nodded in understanding.

"How'd you end up in foster care?"

"All I know is there was a fire about 14 years ago that destroyed the house we were living in and that I've been in Nevada foster care ever since," Emma paused, "Does Kristin know?"

"Know what?"

"All of the secrets and lies. Does she know that Annie is my birth mother? Does she know that you and Alec covered it all up?"

"No," Ted answered, ashamed, "No she doesn't. It's the only thing I've ever kept from her, and I'm not proud of it, but that's how its worked out."

Emma nodded as if she understood that impact lying had. She seemed to know that sometimes it was necessary, but when the truth came out nobody was safe. Tears kept streaming down her face, and that was when Ted realized that the girl he'd known for the few weeks was Emma. Her last question had been about Kristin, not herself. She cared about Kristin and how this would impact her. This wasn't a game to her. Every time she said she loved him. Every hug, every question, every conflict had been her. She might have lied about her name, but she hadn't lied about who she was. Emma was the kind-hearted, polite girl they knew. Whatever anger he'd felt against her for lying and impersonating his daughter had dissipated. He wanted to help her.

"Look Emma," He started, "we don't have a lot of time. The fact is that Alec found Sutton. I don't know how, so don't ask me that. That means that we have to tell Kristin the truth."

"That means we have to tell Kristin the truth," Ted told her.

"I can't," Emma said shaking her head, "She was so open with me and I lied to her. She's gonna hate me."

"If you don't tell her, Sutton will," Ted stated, "Emma, it's not like you can just quietly disappear and let her take it all back. People are going to notice if one day you can't walk and the next your knee is just fine. You have to face this."

"I can't," Emma reiterated, "I tried before the party, I tried during the party, and I just couldn't do it. You know the whole story, you tell her."

"You know you should really learn how to control the volume of what you say."

"You know you should really learn how to control the volume of what you say," Laurel said as she appeared in the room. Emma and her dad looked up at her, surprised. Neither one of them could say anything so she continued, "I was just walking by the door when I heard you guys talking. So all of that stuff last night about not being Sutton was true. You really are her identical twin sister and she really is seeking revenge."

"You told her," her dad said.

"She didn't believe me," Emma defended.

"Well this is just great," Ted started, "who else knows?"

"Just Thayer...and Ethan," Emma explained.

"Ethan knows," Ted exclaimed.

"He was the first person to figure it out," Emma explained.

"Hello," Laurel stated, "you know I'm still in the room."

Both of them seemed to come back to the situation. They looked at Laurel with different looks. Ted looked panicked, but Emma looked upset. It was her that spoke first, "Laurel I am so sorry for lying to you."

Laurel didn't know what to say. She was shocked that it was true. She couldn't believe it.

Ted stood up, "I'm gonna let you two discuss this. Emma if you don't tell Kristin then I will. You have until five to change your mind."

He disappeared from the room and the two girls just looked at each other. Emma was on the verge of tears and Laurel wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.

"Please say something," Emma begged.

"What do you want me to say? Emma, you lied to me. I confided in you and you lied to me. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

Emma started sobbing, "I'm so sorry."

"You should be," Laurel stated, "You should feel absolutely horrible about giving me everything I ever wanted from a sister."

Emma looked up and Laurel smiled.

"Don't you remember what I told you last night? I told you it didn't matter who you were, because I liked you. Emma, wow that sounds weird, for sixteen years all Sutton did was treat me like the family pariah. She didn't talk to me, she didn't hang out with me. She was a selfish little brat. You come and take her place and all of a sudden I have this incredible sister who listens to me and helps me and doesn't act like she hates me. You tried to fix it. I can't hate you for that."

Emma kept crying, but Laurel knew it was because she was happy. Emma held out her arms and said, "Get over here."

For the first time ever, Laurel approached a sister without questioning her motives. She wrapped her arms around Emma and tried to hold back her own tears.


	11. Waiting

Chapter 10: Waiting

Sutton paced the living room of the Ryback home, trying to figure out what she was going to do. When she'd heard her own father talk about Emma the way he had, she was hurt. What made Emma so much better than her? She'd lied just as much as Sutton. She'd hurt just as many people. What made her so good and Sutton so bad?

"Eh-hem," Sutton heard Alec clear his throat, "Are you hungry? I could make you something."

"No thanks," Sutton answered, continuing to pace.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You can take me home," she answered, "so I can get my life back."

"Not yet, Sutton."

"So you're just gonna hold me hostage while Emma continues to ruin my life."

Alec chuckled, "You'll get your chance to explain. You just need to be patient."

"Patient," Sutton repeated, "I got sent to jail thanks to Emma's own messed up life. I spent a week in Las Vegas, trying to get enough money to get back here. Then, when I finally get back my own godfather holds me hostage. I have waited a long time to get back here. Don't tell me to be patient."

Alec slipped out of the room without another word.

"Where are you going?"

Alec didn't turn back and Sutton felt immediately frustrated. Now Alec wouldn't even talk to her. What was she supposed to do now? She paced back and forth thinking of what she was going to say to her parents when she saw them. She tried to come up with what she was going to do to Emma. Her whole family was turning against her. Emma was gonna pay for that if it was the last thing she did.

Emma smiled as Laurel recounted what she'd missed after she left school, "Oh the tennis team missed you today. They even made you this."

Laurel pulled an envelope out from behind her back.

"This is why I was coming to your door. I know it's written to Sutton, but I figure you'll appreciate it more, and you are the one that's actually hurt. The whole tennis team signed it, even Nisha."

Emma pulled a card out of the envelope. It was a get well soon card and it was signed by the whole tennis team. She smiled at all of the nice comments people had written, even Nisha's was kind of sweet.

You better be ready for next year, because I'm taking you down.

-Nisha

Emma laughed, "This was really sweet. Too bad I'll probably never get to thank them."

"What do you think's gonna happen when my mom finds out?"

"I don't know," Emma stated, "my guess is she'll probably be really hurt. I came to Kristin for advice so many times. She put her faith in me on countless occasions, and none of that was actually real. She was putting her faith in Sutton, not me."

"When I was thirteen, I snuck out for the first time. Sutton and her friends had been talking about a party they were going to that night and I really wanted to go. I told my mom that I was going to a friend's house and then went to the address I'd heard Sutton say. It ended up being a practical joke on me and after Sutton got her laughs she just left me there, with no way to get home. So I called my mom.

"When she picked me up she didn't say anything. I just got in the car and felt absolutely ashamed. I thought we were just going to drive home and she would leave me to my dad, but the car didn't move. I finally asked her, 'Mom, am I in trouble?' Do you know what she said?"

Emma shook her head.

"She said, 'Laurel, if you think I'm going to punish you for coming to me for help you're crazy.' She then went on about how I shouldn't lie to her again, because I don't have to and all of that motherly stuff, but she didn't even tell my dad. She just said I'd gotten sick and that's why she picked me up. She didn't care about the lies. She was glad that I was safe and that I'd come to her. Emma, she loves you."

"She loves Sutton."

"You know I can pin the first moment I saw you. It was when you came in and started offering to do everything Sutton would never do. That means you saw the pain that Sutton had caused my parents with this search. Emma, my mom may love Sutton as her daughter, but it kills her to see the person she's become. Everything she's said to you in the past few weeks was directed at you, your character, not Sutton's. She might be hurt at first, but she'll get over it. You have to trust me."


	12. Exposed

Chapter 11: Exposed

The clock ticked five and Ted hadn't heard from Emma. I guess he was gonna have to do this. He saw Kristin sitting in the living room, flipping through a magazine. For a moment he considered running to Emma's room and hiding with her. He didn't want to do this, because he knew that Kristin was gonna get hurt. He had to do it, though. If he didn't Alec or Sutton would and that would be so much worse. He took a deep breath and entered the living room.

"Hey Kristin," Ted said, "can we talk?"

"Is this about last night?"

"Sorta," Ted started, "Look Kristin, this is really hard to say, but I have to do it. It's about what Annie shouted at the party. Do you remember when she asked Alec where Emma was?"

"Yeah," Kristin confirmed, "who is that anyways?"

Ted looked down. He couldn't get himself to say it. He just couldn't say the words that he so desperately needed to say.

"Ted, who is Emma?"

He was about to explain when he heard something from behind him, "I am."

Kristin looked up and Ted turned around. Emma was leaning on her crutches in the passthrough looking terrified, "I'm Emma."

"I'm Emma," Kristin heard Sutton say.

Sutton, or Emma, or whatever she was calling herself didn't move. Maybe she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Kristin's eyes kept darting from Ted to Sutton, or Emma, or whatever, and back to Ted. She stared at both of them dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?

"How...who...what?"

"I just want to start by saying," this girl stated, "I'm so sorry I lied to you. You were so good to me and there were so many times I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't."

"Can someone please explain to me what exactly is going on?"

"Honey, this is not Sutton. This is Sutton's identical twin sister, Emma."

"Huh?"

Sut-Emma had made her way to the couch and taken a seat next to Ted, "A few weeks ago I got into trouble and the only person I could turn to for help was Sutton. We met at the bus stop in Phoenix where she told me that she wanted to switch places, so that she could follow a lead on our birth mother. She promised it would be two days, but obviously that isn't true."

"So let me get this straight," Kristin started, "the girl that I've come to know over the past few weeks isn't my daughter, it's my daughter's twin. What?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Emma stated, "but that's the truth. My name is Emma Becker. I'm from Las Vegas where I'm supposed to be living with my foster mother, Clarice, and her son, Travis."

"And why aren't you?"

"Because my foster brother set me up for stealing and Clarice called the cops. Then I hit Travis with a tennis racquet and ran out the back door."

"You what?"

"I know that sounds horrible, but I didn't steal the money and Travis was..."

She didn't go any further, but Kristin needed to know. She needed to know all of the details, "Travis what?"

"He tried to blackmail me into getting the charges dropped, he...he..." Emma swallowed like she was trying to prevent the bile from rising any higher. She looked scared and disgusted.

Kristin didn't know what to do. She wanted all of the details, but she had a feeling Emma didn't want to relive those ones. Her gaze was cast downward and her arms wrapped around her body protectively. Whatever this Travis guy tried to do really rattled her. Kristin leaned forward and grabbed her hand, "It's okay. I don't need to know."

Emma nodded, but her eyes still threatened tears, "I'm sorry I lied, I just..."

She couldn't even finish the sentence. Emma choked on her tears and broke into sobs. This whole conversation was killing her. It made Kristin sick to see her this way, to see anyone this way. She took a seat next to Emma and wrapped her arms around her trying to console her, "It's okay. It's okay."

Emma felt Kristin's arms wrap around her and pulled her into her chest. She stroked her hair and told her it was okay. She subtly rocked her back and forth, trying to comfort her. Eventually, she managed to calm her sobs enough that she was able to continue. She pulled away from Kristin and said, "I know you value honesty and it killed me every time I had to lie to you."

The tears came back and she had to take a moment to continue. In that moment, Kristin said to her, "Why did you agree to the situation in the first place?"

"Because I had no where else to go," Emma explained through the tears, "I was on the run. I was scared and Sutton had made you sound decent. After not having a family for so long, it sounded like a pretty good deal to know what it was like even for a few days."

Another sob escaped Emma's throat and she apologized once again. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed. She was so ashamed of what she had done. She was so hurt by her own actions. She didn't think she could stop the tears and then she heard, "Emma! Emma! Emma, look at me."

A finger guided Emma's head up to Kristin's eyes. She expected to see them blazing with anger or glinting with pain, but that wasn't it. They were bright with compassion. Kristin looked at Emma with understanding. That immediately calmed Emma down.

"I am not angry," Kristin explained, "I'm a little hurt that you lied to me, but I can understand why. Emma you are obviously torn up about the situation."

A light seemed to glimmer in Kristin's eyes as if she'd realized something very important.

"That's what you were trying to tell me before the party. That was your big announcement during the party. Wasn't it?"

Emma nodded choking on another sob, "I wanted to tell you so many times. You are the first person in a long time to believe me without fail."

"It's hard for me to believe that," Kristin stated.

"I'm a foster kid, Kristin. That immediately tanks all the credibility you have. It didn't matter that I was a straight A student. It didn't matter that I didn't need the money. Anytime money went missing, I was the thief. I was the one that got suspended for fighting when a group of girls shoved me against my locker, while they got off scot free. It just came with the territory. People were going to assume the worst in me. There was nothing I could do about it."

Emma saw pain flash in Kristin's eyes, but it wasn't because of her. It was for her. For once, someone heard her pleas. Someone heard her pain, her struggle. Someone understood. Kristin pulled Emma into a tight hug, "You don't ever have to worry about that again."

Emma had run out of tears. She wrapped her arms around Kristin and smiled. This hadn't turned out as she expected and that was a good thing. Kristin was hurt, but she wasn't angry. She believed in Emma's story. She believed in Emma. Whatever Sutton said at least they knew Emma's story. At least they knew the truth.


	13. Bonding

Chapter 12: Bonding

At six o'clock Sutton Mercer pulled into her driveway, sitting in the passenger side of Alec's car. This was her chance to ruin Emma. Her chance to take everything back, and she wasn't going to waste it. The car slowed to a stop and Sutton jumped out of the car, "Stay here," she said to Alec, "I need to do this alone."

Alec nodded and she went racing into the house as fast as she could. The door clicked closed behind her and she listened for voices. She heard none, so she headed for the center of the home, the living room. As she rounded the corner, she saw Emma sitting on the couch, a blanket draped over her legs, working on her laptop. Sutton cleared her throat and Emma looked up.

"Sutton," Emma greeted, surprised.

"Hello Emma," Sutton greeted deviously.

"I'm glad you're alive," Emma stated, "I was beginning to worry when you didn't take advantage of an opportunity to ruin everyone's life."

"Very nice," Sutton stated, "insulting the person that is in complete control of yours."

"It's not an insult if it's true."

"Where are my parents?" Sutton stated changing the subject.

"They went to get dinner," Emma explained, "they should be back soon."

"Is Laurel here?"

"Nope," Emma answered, "She's at her boyfriend's place. It's just you and me."

Sutton noticed that Emma hadn't gotten off of the couch. She was sitting there, daring Sutton to come closer.

Sutton took a step closer, "So, are you ready to give me back my life?"

"Sutton, I never took it. You gave it to to me, and I was fully aware that I would have to give it back. All you had to do was ask."

"Cute," Sutton stated, "so now you act all innocent in this. Like you're the victim, not me. Well save it. You took my life. You stole my boyfriend, my friends, my family. You took everything from me."

"I didn't take anything, Sutton. You gave it to me. Look, I'm sorry about Ethan and I'm sorry that you got sent to jail on my account, but you put this on yourself. You chose to leave. You chose to have me take your place. Everything that blew up in your face is because of your own actions. You can't blame me for your own mistakes."

"And what about yours, Emma? You thought you could just run away from assault and petty theft charges. You thought you could come here and your sister could just make it all go away."

"I came to you for help. I trusted you. I believed you were looking out for me, when you were really just looking out for yourself. Guess what, karma's a bitch."

"Oh shut up," Sutton shouted, "you're just bitter that the great life you've been living is all a lie. The truth is that you have nothing. No family, no friends, nothing. You are nothing, Emma, and you hated it so much that you had to make yourself believe that you were somebody. You had to take my life in order to make yours worth anything."

"My life is worth nothing," Emma clarified, "look at yours Sutton. What are your parents gonna say when they find out you've been gone for three weeks? What are they gonna say when they find out all of the secrets you've been keeping? What are Mads and Char gonna think? What is Laurel gonna do when she realizes how horrible you were to her? Have you even considered the implications of your recent actions? Face it, Sutton. You gambled away everything you had in a selfish move to find out more about your origins. You chose to be angry at the world. You chose to lie to your friends and family and you just expected it to be okay? Sutton, the world don't work like that. People don't just give you what you want all of the time. If this is how I would've turned out growing up in a rich, privileged family, I wouldn't want it. I would never want to be like you, because you are an entitled, selfish little brat."

"More insults. Emma, when are you gonna realize I control the outcome of your life. I determine whether my parents show mercy on you or not. I determine whether fraud or identity theft charges are put against you."

"And you just always have to be in control, don't you? You always have to have the upper hand. So what happens when you don't? What happens when someone is two steps ahead of you?"

"People don't get ahead of me," Sutton explained.

"Really," Emma stated, "because I can file fraud charges and identity theft charges. You are the one that actually committed truancy. You are the one that actually were caught breaking and entering. How's that gonna look with your history? Do you think Dan's gonna believe your story? I'm pretty sure he hates you. He doesn't know me. Why don't we ask him who he's gonna believe?"

"You little bitch," Sutton spit.

"Takes one to know one, Sutton."

Sutton couldn't believe what she was hearing. What happened to the submissive girl that had blindly agreed to take over Sutton's life? What happened to the broken little foster girl that she'd met all those months ago. What happened to Emma? Sutton didn't know how to control this girl.

"Sutton," Emma started, "I'm not trying to steal your life. I wasn't trying to steal Ethan. I told you I didn't want to cause trouble, and you still pushed me toward him. You made him realize that you were never gonna take your relationship public. Do you blame him for looking for someone who would? I tried to be a good sister. I tried to stay away from Ethan. I tried to break it off when it was obvious he was still in love with you."

"I don't believe that, any of it."

"He decked Thayer when he came back, because he found out about you two. He ended our first date, because I kept it a secret. You hurt him, Sutton. You can't deny that."

"What about my pain? What about all of the times I got hurt and no one seemed to care." Sutton shouted.

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about that," Sutton backtracked.

"Why not, Sutton? What is so terrifying about this pain?" Emma asked, sincerely.

Sutton finally sat down opposite Emma, "My parents lied to me, Emma. I know it sounds petty, but that's a big deal to me. They're my parents. They aren't supposed to lie to me. You and Ethan hurt me. You weren't supposed to be better at being me than me. He wasn't supposed to fall in love with you. He wasn't supposed to kiss you. He was mine, and you took him. That hurt, and in return I hurt everyone around me."

"Sutton, I'm sorry I took Ethan from you," Emma said sincerely, "I know it wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. Sutton be honest with yourself, were you ever going to take you and Ethan public?"

Sutton didn't answer right away. Was she? They'd dated for over a year and she hadn't been able to bring it public. Yeah he was a good guy, but he lived in a trailer park. What would her friends think if she made that public? What would her parents think of her dating a delinquent? She wasn't ready for those judgements. At that point, she realized she never would be, "I guess not."

"Sutton," Emma started, "I understand you were hurt by a lot of people that were close to you. I understand why you lashed out. They hurt you, and you wanted to hurt them back. It's a completely normal reaction."

"Than why did I hurt so many people in the process?" Sutton questioned.

"Because it's not the right reaction. Your parents hurt you, did you ever tell them that?"

"No," Sutton responded.

"I hurt you," Emma started, "you never said that to me. You slept with Thayer and stopped talking to me. I knew you were angry and I knew I'd hurt you, and I'm sorry, but your parents don't know how you feel. They don't know you know about all of the lies. They don't know how that made you feel."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"When they come home talk to them. Let go of this grudge and find out what they know. I wish this had happened differently, but it didn't, and that sucks."

Sutton looked at Emma, shocked. Was that an admission of regret? Emma had apologized countless times now and she was offering her some good advice. She'd just showed compassion, but she'd been blunt before. Sutton couldn't remember the last time someone was willing to tell her how it was. She couldn't remember anyone, besides Nisha, who was willing to be that much of a bitch to her. She definitely couldn't remember someone understanding her that well. Emma was right. Sutton needed to let go of it all and talk to her parents. She needed answers and she needed them from them. "I'm sorry, Emma. I wish I hadn't sent that letter. I wish I hadn't kissed Ethan. I was hurt and I'm sorry, really. Is there any way we can just start over? Forget the last few weeks and move forward."

Emma didn't answer right away. She looked at Sutton as if she was deciding. Then, she put her hand out and said, "Hi I'm Emma Becker and I'm your identical twin sister."

Sutton smiled, "I'm Sutton. It's nice to meet you."


	14. Reunion

Chapter 13: Reunion

Ted opened the door to his home carrying a whole slew of Chinese food. After the emotional roller coaster that Kristin and Emma had just been through, he figured it would be better to just get take out. He rounded the corner into the kitchen, "Alright I got all of the..." He looked up and saw Emma sitting on the couch, but he also saw Sutton sitting across from her, "Sutton."

"Hi Dad," Sutton stated standing up.

He dropped the food on the ground.

"Ted," Kristin called, "what's the matter with you? That was our..."

Apparently Kristin had seen Sutton too, because he heard Sutton say, "Hi Mom."

"Sutton," Kristin said.

"I'm so sorry," she started, "I don't know..."

Kristin wrapped her in a huge hug, "Don't you ever do that to me again," she whispered.

Emma hobbled over on her crutches, "I'll leave you three to talk."

Emma tried to leave, but Sutton stopped her. "No," Sutton stated, pulling away from the hug, "please stay, Emma."

Emma nodded and hobbled back to the couch. Sutton, Kristin, and Ted followed her back. Emma and Sutton sat on one couch while Ted and Kristin sat across from them. There was an awkward pause. This was the first time he'd seen the twins sitting together. It was a little mind boggling to see two people, who looked exactly alike, sitting next to each other on the couch. Nevertheless, the conversation had to happen, "So Sutton, is there anything you want to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry I left. At the time, it seemed like it was the only way I was going to get answers about my-uh our-birth parents. You see, I knew you two had lied about my-uh our-mother being dead, and I'd gotten a lead on her that was in Los Angeles. When Emma called me, scared and on the run, it gave me the perfect opportunity to follow that lead."

"And where did it take you?"

"I ended up in jail in Las Vegas."

"For what?"

"It was my fault," Emma stated, "she took on my identity in L.A. and because of my foster brother, there was a warrant for my arrest."

"All the charges were dropped though," Sutton defended, "and I met her foster mom...total bitch."

"I still don't understand why didn't just tell us that," Kristin stated, "Why didn't you come to us about what you knew?"

"I was angry," Sutton said, "It is perfectly natural for me to wonder where I came from and all you two did was prevent me from finding that out."

"Did you ever consider that we might be protecting you?" Ted questioned.

"I do now," Sutton stated, "I found our birth mother, not Ruth Peterson, but our real one. She was in a mental institution and when we started talking, she went off the handle."

So Sutton had found Annie. Ted was a little panicked about the situation now. What all did she know? How far had she gotten with Annie?

"I'm sorry for all of the trouble I've caused," Sutton stated, "It was selfish and dangerous and I didn't realize that until it all blew up in my face. I just wanted to know her so badly. I wanted to know who she was, what she did. I wanted to know her, and it felt like you were trying to keep that from me."

"That wasn't our intent, sport," Ted stated.

"I know," Sutton stated, "it just felt that way at the time. It was like you were keeping the one thing I wanted away from me."

Ted felt ashamed. In order to save his skin he'd had to hurt his daughter. Was that fair? The point of the script was the prevent Sutton from getting hurt, but she'd figured out that it was all a lie. Was it fair to keep lying to his daughter, just to save his skin?

"Look," Sutton continued, "I'm sorry that I left and for all of the trouble I've caused with this search, but I need you to understand my situation. I need you to see where I was coming from."

"We do, sweetheart," Kristin exclaimed.

"We really were just trying to protect you," Ted explained.

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't trust you on that before."

"Well do you have any questions," Kristin offered, "we'll answer them as best we can."

Sutton looked contemplative, like she wasn't sure what to ask. They'd basically given her a free pass to ask whatever she wanted. She ended up asking, "What's gonna happen to Emma?"

"What's gonna happen to Emma?" Emma heard Sutton ask.

"What?" Kristin exclaimed.

"I mean are you going to send her back to Nevada?"

Ted and Kristin looked at each other, each trying to figure out what the other one was going to choose. Emma wanted to stay, but she knew that she was in trouble in Nevada. She knew that they would probably have to, but she didn't want them to do it.

"It's the right thing to do," Kristin explained.

"Right thing to do?" Sutton questioned, "There's nothing right about her life in Vegas."

Was Sutton actually defending her? After everything that had happened, did Sutton really want her around?

"Sutton," Ted started, "there are rules."

"Screw the rules," Sutton started, "She's my sister. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Emma could not understand it. Two days ago, Sutton was set on ruining her, now she was trying to protect her. She didn't get it. What was Sutton playing at? Did she really want Emma to stay, or was there something else she was playing to get. Emma didn't know, and at this point, she didn't care. If she got to stay, she was happy.

"We'll look into it," Kristin promised.

Emma smiled at Sutton and Sutton returned the favor. This was the objective the whole time, and it was finally coming true. Emma was about to have a family for the first time in a long time.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Kristin said standing up, "I'm gonna go order a pizza, considering our dinner is now all over the floor."

Ted followed and the girls were left alone in the living room. This was Emma's chance, "I don't understand," Emma started, "after everything that's happened, you don't want me to leave."

"Why would you think that?"

"Oh I don't know," Emma started, "maybe because two days ago that's exactly what you wanted me to do. You said I stole your life. I stole Ethan. What changed your mind?"

"You did, Emma," Sutton explained, "I haven't had someone listen to me and actually understand in a long time. You completely understood why I was angry, and then basically told me to get over it. Do you know how many people have the guts to do that to me? Very few. What you said wasn't out of hate or anger or pain. It was what I needed to hear. It was honest."

Emma started to tear up. This was the first time since the switch that Sutton had treated her like a sister. There had been so many tears today, she figured a few more wouldn't hurt.

"You aren't gonna cry on me," Sutton answered disgusted.

"You know I am," Emma stated, wiping a tear from her eye, "Thank you, Sutton."

"For what?"

"For this experience. Even if I have to go back to Vegas, I won't forget the time I got to spend here, with your family."

"We won't let that happen. There's got to be a way to keep you here. There just has to be."

"I'm sure there is" Emma stated, "I just don't know how long it will take for that to happen. I mean I am still technically in the custody of Clarice."

"No you're not," Sutton started, "they took away her license."

"Great" Emma exclaimed, "so now I'm homeless."

Emma felt a hand land on her right knee, "It's going to be okay, Emma," Sutton comforted, "we'll figure this out. I swear."

"Thanks Sutton," Emma said, "but this is one thing you can't control. I may get sent back to Vegas and there's nothing we can do about it."


	15. Sisterhood

Chapter 14: Sisterhood

The following morning Sutton Mercer woke up in her own bed for the first time in weeks. It was crazy to be back in Phoenix, to have her life back, to be Sutton Mercer again. Everything she'd said to her parents and to Emma had been true. She wanted Emma to stay, she wanted her parents to understand. She was glad that she'd had that conversation with them. It was exactly what she'd needed.

Sutton pulled herself out of bed and prepared herself for the day. It had been decided last night that neither Sutton nor Emma would be going to school today. Instead they were all gonna figure out how to keep Emma in Arizona. Sutton didn't see Laurel last night. She'd fallen asleep before Laurel had returned from her...boyfriend's. So Laurel had a boyfriend. Sutton was surprised her AP dork of a sister had managed to score anyone. She looked at the clock: 9:15. She was surprised she hadn't slept later. After everything that had happened she'd gone to sleep exhausted. She'd expected to be asleep until at least noon.

Wearing only a tank top and a pair of shorts, Sutton slid out of her room to see if anyone else was awake. The first person she found was Emma. She was sitting on the couch typing on Ted's laptop. Sutton wasn't standing there five seconds before Emma looked up, "Hey, how'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Sutton stated, "You?"

"Same."

"How long have you been up?"

"Couple hours," Emma explained, "your dad left for his rounds about an hour ago and your mom went to take a shower about fifteen minutes ago."

"You can call them by their first names, Emma."

"I know," Emma said, "it just sounds weird."

Sutton made her way over to Emma. Emma's leg was propped up on the table, an ice pack covering her knee, "How's your knee?"

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much as before."

"What exactly happened?" They really hadn't had a chance to talk last night. All she knew about Emma's knee was that she'd torn her ACL. Emma also caught her up on what had been happening while she was away. She told her how Annie was back in town and how she hadn't been able to talk to her since that night. She explained how she'd brought Mads and Char in a little bit, but most of the conversation the night before was about how they were going to handle the whole situation. Her mom was going to talk to a social worker about the options Emma and they had, while Emma and her stayed home. Sutton was not allowed to answer the door, because they didn't want anyone spreading rumors before they had all of the answers.

"I was playing tennis with Kristin and it buckled when I tried to change directions." "Apparently, a bad left knee is something we share."

"I think we're gonna find there are a lot of things we share," Emma noted.

Sutton didn't know what to say. She'd had all night to think about it and she felt even worse for the things she'd said to Emma that night. Sutton crossed her arms over her chest and stood awkwardly. For the first time, she didn't know what to do next.

"You can sit down if you want," Emma offered, trying her best to put whatever had happened behind them. At leas that's what Sutton hoped. She took a seat across from Emma, but she still didn't know what to say, "So I know we just promised to forget that past few weeks," Emma started, "but I do have one question for you."

"Shoot," Sutton answered.

"What happened to you that night? I mean, why didn't you come to the party."

"Honestly, I drove the car into a lake."

"What?"

"Yeah, I was driving down the road and someone appeared in my backseat. I completely flipped out and drove my car right into a lake. I managed to get out, somehow, and I remember waking up briefly on the shore, but nothing more. The next thing I know I'm waking up in some dark room."

"How'd you get out...of the room I mean?"

"Some kid came and let me out. Then he drove me to Alec's house where I was kept hostage until Mads told him she was on her way home. That's when he took me here."

Emma nodded.

"It was weird though," Sutton continued, "He knew it was me as soon as I got there."

"I'm pretty sure he's known since Homecoming," Emma explained.

"Why would you say that?"

"Just certain comments he's made. The way he calls me Sutton. It was like he was trying to tell me that he knew I wasn't you."

Sutton wasn't surprised. Alec was always pretty perceptive, sometimes a little too perceptive. There were points where Sutton thought he knew more than her parents did. There were times where his creepy smile was just a little too creepy for her to stand. Alec scared her on occasion, and she was sure she wasn't the only one.


	16. Deception

Chapter 15: Deception

At lunch, Laurel took her usual seat next to Justin, feeling drained. She'd spent her entire morning explaining to people where Sutton was. She couldn't very well tell them that she was with her long lost twin sister, who'd been impersonating her for the past few weeks, trying to figure out how to keep her in Phoenix. No one would believe her. The story she'd come up with was that her knee was really bothering her, so she'd decided to stay home, but it was getting tedious. She was tired of all of the lies.

Mads and Char walked up to their table, "Hey Laurel," Char greeted.

"Um hi?"

"Can we talk?" Mads asked, "alone."

"Sure," Laurel answered, "I'll be right back."

Justin nodded and Laurel followed Mads and Char around the corner. As soon as they were alone Char and Mads turned on her, "Alright," Mads started, "what is going on with Sutton?"

"What do you mean?"

"She didn't even call us to let us know she wouldn't be here today."

"I'm sure she meant to," Laurel stated, "last night was a little emotional."

"What does that mean?"

Laurel was trying to be honest without giving anything away, but it was hard. These were Sutton's best friends and she was forced to cover for Sutton and Emma now. She had to say something, "She found out she needs surgery."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Char cried.

"I don't know," Laurel answered, "look, I'm sure she'll talk to you later today. For now, the reason she isn't here today is her knee, okay?"

"For now, the reason she isn't here today is her knee, okay?"

Mads watched as Laurel turned and stormed off, "She's hiding something," she stated to Char.

"Obviously," Char commented, "you know I'm so sick of these secrets from Sutton. First she lies about who she's dating. Then she doesn't tell us about her search for her birth mother. I thought we were supposed to be best friends."

"I think it's time we paid the Mercers a visit."

"4-6 months," Kristin exclaimed, "Does it even matter that our adoptive daughter is her twin sister?"

Kristin Mercer was sitting in the Social Services office trying to find out the options for keeping Emma in Phoenix. The person she was talking to was trying to be helpful, but it just wasn't. "Maybe, but she's from Nevada, right?"

Kristin nodded.

"That's gonna complicate things, because she is in the custody of the state of Nevada. Technically, we should send her back there."

"But her only family is here," Kristin said, "Is there anyway to keep her here?"

"I could try and get her placed here in Phoenix, but I can't promise that. What about her current foster parents?"

"According to my daughter, her license has been revoked."

"And she hasn't been placed in a new home yet?"

"She's been in Phoenix."

"Let me see what I can do," the social worker said, "I'll look into her file, see what her options are, and give you a call tomorrow. Can you give me her name again?"

"Emma Becker."

The social worker wrote the name down, "and can I get a number to call you at?"

Kristin gave her the home phone number, "Do you need anything else?"

"I'll call you if I need any further information," she explained.

Kristin nodded and stood to go. There were options to keep her here, they just needed to find one that would work. Kristin left the office feeling a little better about the whole situation. Maybe Emma would get to stay in Phoenix, but maybe she wouldn't. They would just have to wait and see.

"Are you sure?" Ted asked Alec after his rounds.

"She's been in five different homes in the past three years," Alec explained, "good kids don't change homes that often."

"But she seems like such a nice girl."

"You expect her to act like a little brat," Alec noted, "C'mon Ted think. She's a foster kid. She's on the run. Wouldn't you turn to your privileged long lost twin if you had one?"

Ted understood what Alec was saying, but he didn't want to believe it. He liked Emma. He didn't want to believe that she was still playing him.

"Besides, Ted you don't want another loose cannon down here that could expose everything. We still don't know what Annie is gonna do."

"But she's Sutton sister," Ted explained, "I can't just tell her to leave."

"So make her want to leave. Turn everyone else against her so she feels like her only choice is to leave. She's already run from her problems once, who says she won't do it again when she's hurt?"


	17. Friends

Chapter 16: Friends

After school, Emma was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine when she heard the doorbell ring. She grabbed her crutches and made her way to the door. As she pulled the door open, she was surprised to see Mads and Char standing there.

"Hey," Emma greeted, "what are you doing here?"

"Laurel told us about the bad news. We thought you could use some cheering up," Char explained.

"Yeah," Mads started, "we brought magazines and the latest Arroyo gossip. Are you gonna let us in?"

Emma couldn't deny Sutton's best friends entrance to the Mercer home. She hopped out of the way and they stepped in, heading immediately to the living room. Emma followed, not knowing what to do. Sutton, the real Sutton, was just down the hall in her room. What if she came out? What was Emma supposed to do then?

Emma took a seat across from Mads and Char, "Hey I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my knee last night, I just didn't really feel like talking."

"It's okay, Sutton," Char stated, "we understand this whole thing is a little scary."

"Yeah," Mads jumped in, "but you do know you can tell us anything, right?"

"Yeah I know," Emma answered reluctantly.

Emma noticed that her right leg was shaking. She was so nervous about Sutton coming out of her room and blowing their big secret. Part of her wanted it to happen. She wanted to be free of the burden of keeping such a big secret from Sutton's two friends. The other part of her wasn't ready to suffer the anger and hurt. She'd gotten lucky with Kristin, but would Mads and Char be as forgiving. They'd been lied to by the actual Sutton and then lied to some more by Emma. It was going to hurt them, and she didn't want that.

Her fear was actualized when she heard Sutton call, "Hey Emma, do you..."

She'd appeared in the doorway, looking as stunned as Mads and Char probably felt. Emma turned toward the girls sitting across from her. Both of them had their jaws on the floor.

Mads stared at the girl in the doorway utterly speechless. She looked exactly like the girl on the couch. What the hell was going on?

"What the hell is going on?" Char exclaimed, "Sutton, who the hell is that?"

The girl on the couch looked guilty and ashamed. She seemed like she wanted to cry, "That is the real Sutton," she stated.

"What?" Mads blurted out.

"Maybe you should explain," the girl on the couch said to Sutton.

Mads looked to Sutton, waiting for her to explain.

"She's right," Sutton started, "the girl that you have thought was me for the past few weeks is my identical twin sister. We were separated at birth. Her name is Emma Becker."

"Excuse me," Char said.

"When I got back from Paris," Sutton continued, "I got a lead on my birth mother at the same time that Emma was on the run from the Nevada Police."

"I just want to say that I was innocent and all of the charges have been dropped," Emma added.

"Anyways," Sutton came in, "it was the perfect opportunity for me to find my birth mother. I asked Emma to take my place while I followed this lead."

"And you didn't think to tell your two best friends," Mads stated.

"I didn't tell anyone. It all happened so fast that I didn't have a chance."

"Or did you just want your own secrets?" Char questioned.

Sutton looked guilty, like she'd been caught in a lie. Mads didn't see Sutton like this very often. She almost never cast her head down. She got revenge. She stood tall and destroyed anyone who got in her way. Now, she looked...scared. She looked like she was at the mercy of them, "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Mads questioned.

"Yes," Sutton plead, "I was selfish and it blew up in my face. I lost friends, family, and a whole lot more through all of this. It wasn't supposed to work that way. I hurt you guys and I especially didn't mean that. I'm so sorry."

A tear streaked down Sutton's face. She seemed genuinely sorry, but Mads knew how good of an actress Sutton could be. She'd watched Sutton burst into tears on demand. There was someone else who could shed insight on this situation. She turned to Emma, "And you just went along with it?"

"I was running. I was trying to escape my foster family. Anything was better than that. Besides, it was supposed to be just two days."

"Why wasn't it?" Char asked.

"Unforeseen complications," Sutton explained.

"Wait," Mads started, "Is that when she slept with Thayer?" Mads was looking at Emma.

"You told them that I slept with Thayer," Sutton exclaimed.

"No," Emma started, "Ethan nearly knocked Thayer out at the hospital and when I went to talk to Ethan the following day, Thayer followed us, and they followed Thayer. You happened to be the topic of discussion at that point."

"So did you sleep with Thayer?"

"Again," Sutton said, "I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to work that way. I was upset about Ethan and he was there for me and it just went too far."

"Why were you upset about Ethan? Were you not dating him in secret?"

"No I was," Sutton explained, "but Homecoming was his way of breaking up with me for Emma."

"You stole your sister's boyfriend," Char said to Emma, "Not cool."

"I didn't steal him," Emma stated, "I actually told him countless times that we couldn't be together because Sutton was my sister. We only made it official on the day before our birthday." She seemed to be saying it to Sutton.

Mads looked from Sutton to Emma and back to Sutton. It was so creepy how much the two of them looked alike. She wasn't surprised that they'd managed to fool them on looks, but how had she her and Char not picked up on the differences in their personalities. Then she recalled that she had. She remembered Sut-Emma standing up to Mrs. Chamberlain. She remembered how Emma had risked Char's own happiness for Laurel's happiness. The real Sutton would never have done that. She would have honored the dibs.

Sutton looked legitimately scared. Emma looked hurt, like it hurt her to have hurt them. She'd heard Sutton's story, she wanted to hear Emma's, "Do you have anything you wanna say to us?"

Emma looked surprised that the question had been directed at her, "I'm sorry," she answered, "I've only ever had one friend that came close to you guys. I wish I hadn't had to lie to you. You didn't deserve that."

Emma's apology was genuine. If she'd learned anything about Emma in the past few weeks was that she seemed like a genuinely good person. She wanted to believe that it wasn't an act, but she just didn't know. She didn't know Emma. How could she believe her when she didn't even know her?

"And you just expect us to believe you," Char certified.

"No," Emma answered, "You have no reason to believe me. All I've done is lie to you for weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't believe me."

Wow this girl was good. Mads sat slack jawed on the couch. How could someone who shared Sutton's DNA be so different from her. Sutton would think she was entitled to trust, that it should be given to her without fail. Emma understood the true meaning of trust. She understood that it was earned and that she had done nothing to earn it from them.

Mads looked to Sutton. She looked utterly surprised by her twin's honesty. Actually, she looked jealous. It was like she hated the fact that Emma was so good at being a nice person. It was like she envied Emma's ability to gain compassion from others. Emma's eyes glimmered with the threat of tears, "I truly am sorry for lying to you," she explained, "and I'm sure Sutton is too, right Sutton?"

Sutton didn't seem to know what to say. It was as if she didn't expect Emma to be kind to her. It seemed like there was more than just sibling rivalry bubbling beneath the surface with these two. She picked her jaw up off of the floor and nodded. Now her eyes threatened tears, "Please understand," she plead.

"Sutton," Char started, "we understand, but it still hurts. We're supposed to be best friends and you've kept so many secrets from us. You forced your own sister to cover them up for you, when she didn't even know what they were. That's really hard to get over."

"I know," Sutton answered, "I screwed up. You are the only people I never meant to hurt in all of this."

"You wanted to hurt Emma," Mads stated, unbelieving, "your own sister."

"She stole my boyfriend, my friends, my family. Of course I wanted to hurt her...and I did. It wasn't until she so brutally knocked me back down to size that I stopped."

"You knocked her down to size," Char said to Emma, "How?"

"She made me realize how selfish I was acting in all of this. She made me realize how bad I would look if I came back exactly as I'd left. And of course she apologized for the whole thing with Ethan."

Emma was a better Sutton, not that Mads would ever say that aloud. She had managed to make Sutton appreciate what she had. She had knocked sense into Sutton. She had graciously admitted her own mistakes. Emma was a better person than Sutton was. Everything she'd heard from both of them had proven that correct.

"What about your parents?" Char questioned.

"They lied to me for years," Sutton explained, "they withheld the one thing I truly wanted. Wouldn't you want to hurt someone who did that?"

Mads knew Sutton was right. If her dad had done something like that to her, she'd want to hurt everybody that was remotely involved. Even if he was completely innocent in all of it, "And Thayer?"

"Okay, Thayer was the other one I didn't mean to hurt. I used him to hurt Ethan and then I wasn't very gentle when I let him down. He's the only guy whose never let me down, and I let him down. That was hard to handle."

Mads looked at Sutton. She expected to be angry, but she wasn't. She expected to be hurt, but she wasn't. She was glad that Sutton was okay. She was happy that she was back. More importantly, she was happy she had changed. Emma had somehow managed to fix her and Sutton's relationship without knowing anything about it and then continued her work by fixing Sutton. She found herself wanting to know what was going to happen to her.

"So now that Sutton's back," Char started, "what's gonna happen to you, Emma?"

"So now that Sutton's back what's gonna happen to you, Emma?" Sutton heard Char ask. What was gonna happen to Emma? Her mom had gone to find out the options a while ago, but she hadn't returned yet. They didn't know if Emma was gonna get to stay in Arizona let alone the Mercer home. Sutton saw Emma's head bend down, like she was trying to compose herself.

"I don't know," Emma explained, "right now I don't have a home, so it all depends on where I get placed."

"What do you mean you don't have a home?" Mads asked.

"I'm a foster kid," Emma started, "and my latest foster mom just lost her license. That means I can't stay with her, not that I'd want to, and I haven't been in Nevada since that happened, so I haven't been placed. There's a possibility I might get to stay in Phoenix, but I might also have to go back to Vegas. It just depends."

"Why can't you stay with Sutton?" Char asked, "I mean, she is your sister."

"The Mercers don't have a license to be foster parents and it can take months to get one. I don't know if the fact that my sister is living with them will make a difference."

Sutton looked at her friends. They looked disappointed. She didn't know whether it was because she, Sutton, might possibly lose her twin sister, or because they might possibly lose a friend. That made Sutton uneasy. How could so many people just trust Emma after knowing her for three weeks, not even as herself? She was beginning to think that Emma was playing everyone. She was a foster kid, weren't they street smart or something. Weren't they supposed to be troubled and aggressive? Emma didn't seem like either one of those. She acted like she was a gracious, honest, kind person, but Sutton knew how that could be faked.

Sutton looked at Emma, trying to see if she could read anything. There was nothing. She looked genuinely scared to go back to Las Vegas. She'd looked genuinely pained by lying to Mads and Char. Everything looked genuine. Maybe she'd just gotten so good at it that it just looked like that. What was that called? Pathological lying. It was possible. Emma had fooled her and they shared DNA. It was possible she was just comfortable lying that she could lie about how much it bothered her. Sutton wouldn't rule it out. She wouldn't rule anything out with Emma.

"Alright Emma," Char started, "It's time to spill."

"What?"

"Your life story," Char explained, "We want to know everything."


	18. Misfits

Chapter 17: Misfits

Kristin stepped through the door of her house to the sound of nothing. As Kristin rounded the corner carefully, she heard hushed whispers coming from the living room, "Seriously, you hit him with a tennis racquet."

"It was self defense," Emma explained, "he was..."

"You can say it, Emma," Sutton stated, "you can say he came on to you."

"It was more than a come on," Emma noted, "look, can we just talk about something else. Like the time I carved..."

"Eh-hem," Kristin cleared her throat before Emma could continue, "Hello girls. Mads, Char."

"Hey Mrs. Mercer," Char greeted.

"Um Emma, Sutton can I talk to you?" Kristin questioned.

The two girls stood from the couch and followed Kristin into the hallway. As they disappeared out of earshot Kristin turned on them.

"I thought we were trying to keep this quiet until we knew what was going to happen."

"We didn't tell them," Sutton stated.

"They barged in after school," Emma explained, "it wasn't like we could just not explain the situation when it was staring them in the face."

"Well make sure they don't tell anyone else. It's better if this is kept quiet until we have all of the answers."

"Why is it so important to keep it a secret anyways?" Sutton asked.

"We don't want people getting the wrong idea about what happened," Kristin explained, "This could be spun to hurt our family."

"Are you ashamed of me?" Emma wondered.

"No of course not," Kristin replied, "but you did impersonate your sister."

"At her request," Emma reminded.

"I don't know whether the hospital is going to see it that way," Kristin explained, "you could be charged for fraud when this comes out. I don't want that to happen to you."

"Do you really not trust Mads and Char to keep this a secret?" Sutton questioned.

"I trust Mads and Char," Kristin defended, "It's just that the more people who find out, the more likely it is to get out."

Kristin stared at Emma and Sutton with pleading eyes. She needed them to understand how grave the situation was. Sutton and Emma looked scared and confused. They shouldn't have to deal with all of these secrets. They shouldn't have to keep so many secrets at this age. That wasn't fair.

"Okay," Emma answered, "We won't tell anyone else, right Sutton?"

"Right," Sutton agreed.

"Right," Emma heard Sutton agree. Kristin turned on her heels and stalked down the hallway. It wasn't five minutes before Sutton continued, "What is the big deal? It's just Mads and Char."

"Sutton, she just found out that her daughter has been in a different state for three weeks and that her identical twin sister has taken her place. Wouldn't you be a little panicked about what was going to happen next?"

"Honestly...no."

"Does anything bother you?"

"Not really," Sutton answered emotionless.

"Well here's the deal, Sutton," Emma stated, "Your mother just got you back and she is trying so hard to understand your position. It's time for you to try and understand hers. She's scared, Sutton. You ran off. Who's to say you won't do it again?"

"You don't have to be so harsh."

"Have you ever had someone be this harsh with you?"

"No," Sutton answered.

"There's your issue, Sutton. People are so afraid of confronting you, of pissing you off, because they're afraid you're gonna fly off the handle. We both know how vengeful you can be."

Sutton crossed her arms and shifted her body weight to the side. She was protecting herself from all of the harsh criticism.

"Sutton, you can be a selfish little brat..."

Sutton looked up, trying to fight back tears.

"...but you are also strong, driven, and motivated. Why do you focus that energy into hurting people? What happened that made you so vengeful?"

"You don't understand what it's like, Emma," Sutton stated, "you've only lived my life for a few weeks. You don't know what it's like to be..."

"Be...what? Sutton, what is your real problem with the world?"

"I don't belong," Sutton stated.

"What?"

"You heard me. Emma, my family isn't my real family. All of my friends, all of the people around me get to know where they came from. They have a family history. I don't."

"Neither do I," Emma answered, "I don't even have any family. I'm okay with that, why aren't you?"

"I used to be," Sutton answered, "I used to be okay with being adopted, but then last year I had to do a family tree for a class. The teacher said I could just do it on the Mercer family, but I didn't want to. I wanted to know about my background, my history. When I asked my mom and dad they told me our birth mother was dead, and I was okay for a while. Then I found out she was alive and I wasn't okay. All I needed was to know about my past, and they didn't let me have that. All of the times Nisha or someone else pointed out that I didn't have a real family came flooding to the surface and it hurt. It felt like my parents didn't care enough about me to give me the one thing I was entitled to. It just hurt so much."

Sutton choked on her own emotions and Emma wrapped Sutton in hug. She didn't care if she fell over as she stood on one leg, Sutton needed help. She needed someone to know that what she felt was okay, that she wasn't wrong. Sutton needed someone who listened to her and understood what she was saying, "It's okay, Sutton. It's okay that you were hurt and that you felt hurt, but hurting others isn't the answer."

"What are you, my mother?" Sutton questioned, pulling away.

"Right now, yeah, because you won't have a conversation with yours. Kristin is trying so hard to help you, but she can't do that unless you let her. You need to let her in. I think you'll come to find that she, at least, is not against you."

"She lied to me too," Sutton explained, "How can I trust her?"

"She didn't lie to you. She was lied to herself. Kristin doesn't know anything about Annie. She doesn't know anything about all of the secrets surrounding our birth."

"Really?"  
>"Really," Emma assured, "the only thing she knew was that there was a possibility that your birth mother was alive. She even promised to help us find her if she was, but that was before you found Annie and before Annie came here. All of the secrets surrounding us are because of Ted and Alec. Kristin is entirely innocent in all of this."<p>

Sutton smiled as if relieved. Sutton needed to trust one of her parents. She needed to have faith in one of them, and Emma was glad she could give that to her. Sutton wasn't a bad person. She was a spoiled kid who'd been hurt by the two people who should never hurt her. She'd finally been denied something, and it was the one thing she shouldn't be denied: her past. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right, but neither was how Sutton reacted to the situation.

There was more to Sutton than Emma ever realized, and that, in turn, relieved Emma. Sutton was not a shallow bitch. She was spoiled and she was self-centered, but she showed potential for change. Emma hadn't known Sutton before she'd already been hurt. She hadn't had the opportunity to know Sutton when she was okay with being an adopted child. Emma had met her when Sutton had found her. That was after Sutton had discovered her parents were hiding something. Emma couldn't judge Sutton properly, because she didn't really know Sutton.


	19. Slapped

Chapter 18: Slapped

An hour or so later, Laurel stepped into her home feeling exhausted. She'd wanted to hang out with Justin but after five minutes she'd passed out on his bed. He'd left her there to sleep and an hour and a half later, she awoke very confused. There was a note on the bedside table:

_Had to go to work. Won't be back until eight. Hope you slept well._

_-Justin_

She'd smiled at his consideration and then quietly slipped out of the room. Now she was home and she still felt like she was going to fall over at any moment. She'd spent the entire day dodging questions, avoiding accusations, and trying to keep all of the Mercer secrets hidden. It was draining. As she came into the living room, she heard her parents talking in attempted hushed voices.

"What do you want me to do, Kristin?"

"You helped Justin stay here. Why can't you do that for her?"

"She has to face the consequences of her actions," her dad explained.

"And what about the consequences for Sutton's actions? She ran away from home. She lied to us for weeks and she forced her twin sister to do the same. Why hasn't she faced any consequences for that?"

"She was hurt, and from the sounds of it she's been punished enough."

"And you don't think Emma's been punished enough? Falsely accused of petty theft, 14 years in foster care, hasn't she been through enough?"

"Why are you defending her so fiercely? She's a stranger to us. We don't know if anything she said was true."

"Do you know what I see when I look at Emma? I see a hard-working, kind-hearted kid who has had to deal with more crap than any of us could ever imagine. I see a kid who came into this home and tried to rebuild the relationship we had with our own daughter. I see a kid who has tried to prove every stereotype wrong and is still dealing with them from us."

"How do you know she isn't just manipulating us?"

"Because she didn't have to connect with me and she did. She didn't have to let me in while she was pretending to be Sutton, and she did. She was so upset when she was telling her story. She was so scared to hurt me. I can't believe that the girl who let me comfort her when she got scared, who came to me for relationship advice, who played tennis with me was manipulating me the whole time."

"She was also digging for information about her and Sutton's birth mother," Ted noted.

"But didn't she always back off as soon as you asked her to. She never pushed the envelope farther than you let her. You admitted yourself that you thought Sutton had given up the search. She obviously didn't push as hard as Sutton did."

"That's not the point," Ted exclaimed, "she came here because she was running from her own problems."

"She was looking for help," Kristin defended.

"She was avoiding her problems."

"Why aren't you defending her? She's practically your daughter."

Silence ensued. Her dad didn't know what to say to that one. As the silence continued Laurel stepped into the room, acting as if she'd heard nothing, "Hey Mom, are you...oh sorry," she said when her parents reacted to her presence, "am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all," her mom answered, "what do you need sweetheart?"

"Oh it's not important. I just wanted to know if what was for dinner tonight."

"I haven't decided yet," she explained, "Is there something you wanted in particular?"

"No," Laurel answered, "just wondering."

There was still a lot of tension in the room and Laurel felt like she was adding to it.

"Well, I'll just head to my room then."

Her parents nodded and Laurel slipped out of the room. At first she wanted to stay and listen. She wanted to know what her parents were gonna do with Emma. At the same time, she didn't want to hear her parents fight. She didn't want to listen to how cold her father was acting. How could he be so harsh with Emma? Laurel didn't understand how anyone could be harsh with Emma. All she'd done was be a good person. How could her father not see that? Laurel shook her head and headed down the hall. Emma deserved to know what was going on.

Kristin watched as Laurel disappeared around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, Kristin reared on Ted, "What is your real problem with Emma?"

"She's a stranger," Ted reiterated, "she's obviously had some trouble with the law. I don't trust her."

"Why not? What has she done to make you not trust her?"

"She took Sutton's place. She lied to us well enough to fool both of us into thinking she was our daughter."  
>"No she didn't," Kristin noted, "Both of us noted the difference. We just assumed it was because Sutton had changed, not changed places. Besides, I didn't even know Sutton had a twin and you obviously did. Why didn't you ever tell me that?"<p>

"I didn't think it was important," Ted explained, "By the time I knew she had already been promised to a family in Beverly Hills. There was nothing we could do to get her."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Ted answered, "I guess I didn't see a reason to make you worry about a child that wasn't even yours."

Kristin wouldn't deny that. She probably would've worried about Emma unecessarily. Emma was her daughter's twin sister, did he really want her to not worry about Emma?

"All I'm saying is that we don't know anything about Emma. I think we should look into her past before we make a commitment to keep her in our lives."

"The social worker I talked to today said she would look into Emma's file. I'm sure she can give us some information on her past. And when you realize she is exactly who she's shown us she is, you're gonna be the one who apologizes to her."

Kristin stormed out on her husband. She could not believe how he was acting. Emma was practically his daughter and he was willing to send her back to foster care, hours away from her only family. That wasn't right and it wasn't fair. How could Ted not see that? How could he be so cold? As Kristin rounded the corner she found herself trembling with anger. She didn't know what happened to her husband, but she didn't like it, and she wanted it to stop.

Emma clicked on the next page of the website, trying to find out as much as she could about foster care in Arizona. She wanted to know what her options were. She wanted to know if there was an actual possibility of her staying in Phoenix. As she began to read, there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called, looking up from the screen.

Laurel peeked her head in the door, "Hey Emma. Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Emma answered, closing the laptop. She beckoned Laurel over to the bed.

As she took a seat, Laurel said, "I don't remember the last time someone stayed in this room."

Emma looked around the Mercer's guest bedroom. It was plain and simple: beige walls, simple carpetting, and lots of Mercer family photos. Emma didn't mind the room. It was better than most of the rooms she'd had in Nevada, "I like it," Emma stated, "it's quaint."

Laurel smiled, "Yeah, I always thought it was a little small, but if you like it that's all that matters."

"I do. It's better than most of the bedrooms I've had."

Laurel smiled again, but it was short lived. She seemed like she had something on her mind, something really important. She looked down, "Emma there's something I need to tell you. It has to do with my dad."

"Laurel, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"I walked in on my parents arguing and it was about you. My dad doesn't trust you. He thinks you might be manipulating them."

Emma nodded in understanding. She could see Ted's side. She was a stranger that had come blowing into their lives after running from the law. She would probably be wary too.

"Are you seriously okay with that?"

"Laurel, it's not like I can blame him. I took his daughter's place. I came her a fugitive. That really isn't the most savory past."

"But you were asked to take Sutton's place. You were innocent. Why are you okay with being judged like that?"

"I'm a foster kid, Laurel. Mistrust sorta comes with the territory. When you spend 14 years dealing with it you just learn to live with it."

"Then why are your eyes glistening with tears?"

Emma felt a hot tear streak down her cheek, "Just because I'm used to it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

Laurel brushed the tear off of her cheek, "You don't have to take this, Emma. It's okay to stand up for yourself."

"I wish it were that easy," Emma sighed, "but the fact is that if I piss off Ted, where am I gonna go? Where am I gonna stay? I have no home, no family, nothing. I'm not willing to risk losing this over an understandable misjudgment."

"You might not, but I am," Laurel said storming out of the room.

"Laurel," Emma called, "Laurel."

Laurel didn't turn back and Emma was very worried. What was Laurel about to do? What was she about to say? Emma didn't even bother grabbing her crutches, she just jumped off of the bed and hobbled down the hallway.

Ted was pacing the living room when he heard someone coming down the hallway. He hoped it was Kristin so they could talk about this. He had genuine concerns about Emma, and they were justified. He loved his wife for her loyalty and trust, but he couldn't afford to do that. He had to be the rational one. He had to protect his family from getting hurt. At least that's what he told himself.

The person that appeared in the living room was not Kristin. It was Laurel, and she looked angry.

"Laurel," he greeted, "what's wrong?"

"What is your problem with Emma?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you talking to Mom. I know you don't trust her."

Ted understood now, "I'm just trying to protect my family, Laurel. I don't know this girl and yes, I don't trust her. She's a foster kid, Laurel. They aren't always the most trustworthy people."

All of a sudden Emma appeared in the doorway beside Laurel, trying not to put too much weight on her bad knee. Tears glistened in her eyes and she leaned on Laurel for support, "So that's what you think of me," she stated, "you think I can't be trusted because I'm a foster kid."

"That's not what I meant," Ted tried to backtrack.

"That's exactly what you meant, Ted," she shouted, "You know I've dealt with people like you all of my life. No matter how hard I work, no matter how grateful I act, it's never enough. I get judged on my circumstances. I'm a troublemaker. I'm a delinquent. I'm this, I'm that. Just once, I'd like to have a say in what people think of me."

"Your blowing this out of proportion," Ted stated, "I didn't mean to—"

"Am I? Becauce I think I'm acting perfectly reasonable considering I just got backhanded by someone I thought I could trust."

Emma turned and limped back down the hallway. It didn't take a moment before Laurel jumped in, "You know I don't get it. You help Justin, a boy you barely know, and give him a place to live and a job. He's my boyfriend, but Emma, Emma is Sutton's sister, and she feels like mine too."

"What do you want me to do, Laurel?"

"Apologize," Laurel answered, "go tell her you were wrong and you're sorry. Aren't you?"


	20. Plans

Chapter 19: Plans

Emma wiped away her tears and waited for Lexi to answer her video chat. She needed to talk to somebody who would understand. She needed someone who would help her and support her. She just needed her best friend.

Lexi's face appeared on the screen, "What up, Emma? This is Emma, right?"

"Yeah it's Emma," she answered trying to contain her emotions, "How've you been?"

"How've I been? How've you been? Did you and Sutton figure it all out?"

"Yeah we're okay. I wish I could say the same for her dad and I."

"What happened?" Lexi asked, knowingly.

"He completely misjudged me based on my background."

"And this shocks you because?" Lexi questioned.

Emma looked at Lexi with horror. How could she be so blunt about this?

"Come on, Emma. It's not the first time you've been misjudged based on your background and it's never bothered you before."

"Maybe I'm just tired of dealing with it," Emma retorted.

"Well, you're gonna have to get used to it."

Emma looked at Lexi with utter surprise. How could her friend be so blunt right now? Couldn't she tell that Emma was hurting? Couldn't she hear the pain in her voice?

"Don't look so surprised. Emma, you know better than I do how cruel people can be. It's not fair and it's not right, but that's the way it is. You will always be judged for something. Whether it's your looks, your brains, or your background. I thought you would understand that better than anyone."

"I do," Emma answered, "It's just that I'm so tired of being okay with it. I'm so tired of trying to silently prove myself to a people who've already decided what they think."

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Well I can't stay here so, can I stay with you until I get placed in another foster home."

"Let me think about it," Lexi said looking up as if she was considering her options, "absolutely not."

"What?"

"Emma, you can't keep running when things get hard. So, some idiot made a quick, but justified judgement of you. Are you gonna let him chase you back to Nevada, because that's what he's trying to do? If you really are tired of taking all of this crap then you have to finally stand and face the consequences of your actions."

"But I'm scared."

"Emma, you once drop kicked a 300 pound foster dad to the ground. Why are you scared now?"

"That was different," Emma answered, "he..."

"Yes I know," Lexi answered, "you don't have to say it. He tried to hurt you and you defended yourself. Why is it any different now?"

"Because I had nothing to lose then. Now, I risk losing everything."

"Aren't you gonna lose everything anyways?"

Emma looked away from the screen. She knew Lexi was right, but she didn't want her to be. She wanted to act like Ted hadn't said those things. She wanted to act like he was still the guy she thought she could trust. She knew that could never happen, but she wanted it. Shouldn't that be enough?

"Look Emma," Lexi started, "if you stand up to him and he still kicks you out you're happy to stay with me until you figure it all out, but I won't let you give up without a fight. You want things to change, make them. Don't wait for others to do it for you."

Annie Hobbs paced her sister's living room biting her nails, trying to figure out how she was gonna get Emma back. Alec had lied to her. He'd told her she killed her own daughter in that fire and now she finds out that she might be alive. She wanted her back. She wanted the 14 years she'd missed out on back. More importantly, she wanted Alec to pay.

It had been three days since she'd come into town and been carted off by the club security. In those three days, she'd talked to Char, caught up with Phyllis and waited patiently for her moment. Now she was losing patience. When was she gonna get to talk to Alec and Ted? When was she gonna get her moment?

Phyllis stepped into the living room, "Annie, do you need anything?"

"I need to talk to them," she stated, "I need to talk to Ted and Alec."

"Why do you want to talk to them?" Phyllis spit.

"That's between us."

"What's with all the secrets? You leave for 17 years and now you're back and all you want to do is talk to them. They made you leave."

"Which is why I have to talk to them. There are things we need to talk about."

"Is Emma what you need to talk about?"

"As a matter of fact it is."

"Who is she?"

"You don't know her," Annie answered honestly. Phyllis didn't know Emma. No one except Ted, Alec, and Sutton knew about Emma.

"Alright," Phyllis answered, "if you don't want to talk to me, fine, but I'm not losing you again. Please Annie, promise me you won't run way again."

"I won't," Annie promised, "I have no reason to anymore."


	21. Future

Chapter 20: Future

Kristin was cooking dinner when she heard the phone ring. She'd been stirring pasta, so she set down the spoon and picked up the phone, "Mercer residence."

"Hello," an unfamiliar voice greeted, "this is James, Emma Becker's social worker. I got a call from a Michelle, telling me I could reach her here. May I speak with her?"

"Yeah," Kristin answered in surprise, "hold on a sec."

Kristin carried the phone to the guest bedroom down the hall and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Kristin."

"Come in," Emma answered.

Kristin pushed the door open and saw Emma sitting on the bed with Ted's laptop in her lap. She closed it when Kristin stepped in, "It's your social worker," Kristin explained.

Emma gulped and then took the phone cautiously, "Hi James."

"What were you thinking?" Kristin heard through the receiver.

"I'm sorry, James," she answered, "but I wasn't going to let Travis frame me and then sexually assault me."

Just hearing her say that made Kristin cringe. Apparently it calmed James down too, because Kristin didn't hear his response. She slowly drifted out of the room, leaving Emma to explain.

"I wasn't going to let Travis frame me and then sexually assault me," Emma defended.

"So you thought you'd hit him with a tennis racquet and then avoid arrest. God, you are so lucky that the charges got dropped, or you would be on your way back here right now."

Emma watched as Kristin slipped out of the room. She knew this needed to be a private conversation, but she was still terrified. "Well what are you gonna do?"

"Why don't you explain what you're doing in Phoenix and why I got a call saying you were staying with your identical twin sister?"

Emma sighed. She knew she was gonna have to do this eventually, she just didn't want to do it now, "I do have a twin sister. Her name is Sutton Mercer and she was adopted. She found me a few months ago and we were getting really close. Then the whole Travis thing happened and she was the only one I felt I could turn to. When I got down to Phoenix she asked me to take her place while she went off to Los Angeles to look for our birth mother."

"So the one they arrested wasn't you," he noted, "It was your twin."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

"I believe you, Emma. I just don't know what to do in this situation."

"Why can't I stay in Phoenix?"

"You can," James started, "but it can't be with the Mercers, at least not immediately."

"Because their not licensed," Emma answered in understanding.

"Yes," he started, "I can try and transfer your file to Pheonix, but it means a new caseworker and a new family. Is that what you want?"

Emma thought carefully. Did she want to stay? Ted's words still rang in her head, but Kristin's actions rang louder. Kristin, after knowing everything, pulled her into a tight hug and promised Emma she'd be okay. Laurel's concern pushed its way to the front. With that, Ted's words didn't matter to her. She wanted to stay and if it meant proving to Ted how good a kid she was, then she would do it, "That's exactly what I want."


	22. Family

Chapter 21: Family

Alec opened the door of his home, surprised to see Annie standing on his front porch, "Annie, what are you doing here?"

He pulled the door closed behind him and waited for her reply, "Where are my girls, Alec?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Annie."

"Cut the crap, Alec. We both know that Sutton's not schizophrenic and that Emma's not dead. So why don't you just talk to me? You remember how good our talks used to be, don't you."

"What do you want, Annie?"

"Oh calm down," she answered, "I'm not going to spill yours and Ted's little secret, but I do want my girls back."

"That's not gonna happen," Alec answered.

"Oh yes it is," Annie stated, "I might not be able to take Sutton back, but Emma is mine and if you do anything to change that, I'll spill everything. Everything you and Ted have been trying to hide, everything that could ruin both your lives, I will make sure everybody knows."

"And who's gonna believe you, Annie? It's your word against mine and I'm pretty sure mine carries more weight."

Alec dared her to call his bluff. He was scared. If anyone found out what he did he could lose his job, his family, his friends. He had to force Annie back, just like he had 14 years ago. He had to force her back into the corner. He had to keep running the show, "We'll see, but I have one question. Are you willing to gamble on that? Because I know of at least one person who will always take my word against yours."

Sutton sat at the dinner table, smiling at the way it was going. There had been a lot of laughs so far. Emma had gotten to hear all of the hilarious Mercer family moments. She hadn't heard any of Emma's, but she got the feeling that it was because there weren't that many. In fact, the conversation had never drifted toward Emma's life. She figured it was because her family didn't want to hear about how hard Emma's life had been, then her dad spoke, "So Emma, you've heard all about us. Why don't you tell us about you?"

"What do you wanna know, Ted?" Emma countered a little hostilely Sutton noted.

"How many foster families have you lived with in the past few years?"

Kristin dropped her fork, "Ted!"

"No, it's okay," Emma responded, "I've been in five homes in the last three years, but I'm sure you already knew that."

"That's a lot of homes, isn't it?"

"Maybe to you," Emma answered, "To some it's not that many at all. It really just depends on perspective."

"Why'd you change homes so often?"

Emma clenched her jaw and Sutton thought she might just lose it, but then she dropped her shoulders and looked at Ted, "Let's see. I was a horrible kid who just couldn't keep her nose clean."

Ted didn't answer. He just stared at her like he'd just known.

"That's what you were expecting, weren't you?" She noted, "You expected me to be some delinquent kid who acted out against all of the crap she's had to deal with, right?"

"I'm just trying to understand your background," Ted defended.

"Well let me set the record straight," Emma answered pushing away from the table, "I've been a straight A student practically my whole life. I've had a job in one form or another since I was 13. You're right. I've been placed in a lot of different homes, but it's not because I did anything wrong. It's because of ignorant judgemental people who assume I'm a troublemaker just because of my background."

Emma grabbed her crutches and disappeared down the hallway. Sutton watched her go and then turned on her dad, "Seriously," she shouted, "what the hell was that?"

"Sutton I don't expect you to understand."

"The hell I don't," she shouted, "Dad, I used to think what you think. I thought she was a vindictive bitch who was set on destroying my life. Then she understood me better than my own parents. She made me realize where all of that anger and all of the hurt was coming from. She listened to me, she understood me, and now she's probably gonna leave because of you."

Sutton stormed away from the table. Her dad was acting completely unreasonable and Sutton had had enough. All Emma had done was be exactly who Emma was, and her dad had dismissed her because of her background, just like she had. Now she felt even worse for what she'd done to Emma. She needed to apologize, legitimately, for everything and now was as a good a time as any.

Kristin watched Sutton disappear around the corner and then looked at her husband. She was about to say something, but Laurel cut in first, "Nice job, Dad. Why can't you just take her at face value? Why did you have to go digging into her past?"

"I have a right to know who is staying in my house."

"What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Yeah Emma lied to you, but she did it for Sutton. And it was obvious that when all of those lies came out, she was more hurt about it than anyone. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I don't expect you to understand."

"I don't understand. You don't understand, Dad. She's probably spent her whole life trying to prove that she's not a bad kid. She's probably spent most of her life wishing that she could have a family, a real one like ours. You just ripped both of those hopes out from under her. Like it or not, we are her only family and even you can't give her the benefit of the doubt."

Moments later, Laurel disappeared around the corner and Kristin finally got her chance to speak, "You certainly know how to clear a room."

"I'm just trying to protect my family."

"But grilling her at the dinner table, was that really necessary?"

"Yes Kristin, it was. We know nothing about her and the fact that she changes homes so often concerns me. Good kids don't get moved that often."

"So what are you going to do now? She's a straight A student that's been working since she was 13. Do you still think she's a bad kid?"

"I don't know what to think," Ted answered, "What straight A student gets bounced around that much?"

"You never gave her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was abused. Maybe they moved. You never gave her the opportunity to explain."

"Yes I did."

"Not without assuming what she was going to say. You might have been protecting your family, but to Emma, you were confirming that she will never escape her past, no matter how hard she tries."

Kristin pushed away from the table and stormed away. She thought about going to Emma' s room, but she thought it might be better if the girls had a chance to talk. She'd go check on them later, but for now those three needed to just hang out.

Emma was sitting on her bed, trying not to cry. She hugged one of the pillows close to her body and rocked back and forth. Everything hurt and it was all thanks to Ted. She thought she'd finally found a place where her past didn't matter. She thought she was finally able to be who she wanted to be, but it wasn't the case. Ted had made it perfectly clear that he didn't trust her and that he probably never would.

A knock came to her door, "Emma, it's Sutton. Can I come in?"

Emma wiped the tear from her eyes, "Yeah," she answered.

Sutton pushed the door open and slowly approached, "Are you okay?"

"Just once I would like to go somewhere and not have to deal with all of the crap that comes with being a foster kid."

"Why do you deal with it?"

"Because it's easier to keep your mouth shut and guarantee consistency than to say something and possibly get moved into a worse situation."

"Emma," Sutton started, "I'm so sorry for what I said and did to you. It was worse than my dad, because you're my sister. Of everyone I should be the one that trusts you no matter what."

"Sutton you already apologized and I accepted it. Why are you saying it again?"

"Because it wasn't entirely sincere. There were things I wasn't sorry about, that I am now. Things with Ethan. He really was the fuel to my fire."

"I know," Emma stated, "and I shouldn't've taken him. We both made mistakes when it concerns Ethan."

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love Ethan? I mean really love him."

Emma was taken aback by the question. Had Sutton really just asked her that? She didn't think it was inappropriate, it was just surprising that Sutton cared that much, "Yes," Emma answered, "I do."

"Why?"

Emma was surprised by all the questions about Ethan, but she really didn't blame Sutton. As she looked at Sutton she realized that Sutton wasn't asking out of malice. She wasn't asking out of pain. She was just curious. She was making sure Ethan wasn't going to get hurt again, "Because he's always there for me when I need him. He understands me. He's harsh when he needs to be and comforting when I need him to be. But, most importantly, he knows all of my secrets and he loves me anyways."

Sutton paused for a moment and then looked Emma square in the eyes and said, "He's yours."

"What?"

"You heard me," Sutton said, "You have my blessing to date Ethan."

"Well that means a lot, Sutton. I know Ethan is a real sore spot with you, for good reason of course, but still. Thank you."

"You were right about me and Ethan. I should've treated him better. I wasn't dating him because he was nice, and romantic, and funny, and we went together. I was dating him because he rode a motorcycle and he looked good doing it. I never went to him with my problems. I never let him in. He was trying to be there for me and all I did was push him away. So, Ethan is yours. He deserves you and you deserve him."

_Knock. Knock._

"Who is it?" Emma called.

"Laurel. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Laurel poked her head in, "Emma are you okay?"

"I will be," Emma stated, "I told you before it's not the first time this has happened to me. I'll get over it."

"You shouldn't have to though," Sutton jumped in.

"If it makes you feel better," Laurel started, "Both Sutton and I told off our dad after you left."

Emma smiled. At least she had two people on her side, "well thank you," she said, "It's nice to know that I finally have people on my side."

"You've been on your own for a long time, huh?" Laurel observed.

"You get used to it," Emma shrugged.

A hand rested on Emma's upper leg. She looked up to see Sutton looking at her with...compassion. Emma was surprised. Sutton had never looked at her with any thought of compassion. She'd apologized and she had felt bad, but she'd never shown compassion, "I wish things had been different for you," Sutton explained, "we're gonna get down to the bottom of this. We're gonna find out what happened all those years ago."

The two girls embraced in their most sincere hug ever. Emma felt that she was changing. Obviously she wasn't going to be a kind, considerate, grateful person in two days, but she was showing progress. Emma felt a hot tear streak down her face, but she didn't care. For the first time in a long time she was happy.

"Eh-hem," Laurel cleared her throat and Emma pulled away from Sutton. Laurel was still standing by the bed looking really awkward.

Emma patted the other side of her bed, "Get over here, Laurel."

Laurel smiled and jumped on the other side of the bed. Emma looked from one side of her bed to the other. This is what family should look like. Three girls laughing and smiling in a bedroom. No lies, no secrets, just honest happiness. Emma liked what she saw. She didn't want it to change.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you so much for all of the great comments. Constructive criticism is always welcome.


	23. Truth

Chapter 22: Truth

Ted paced the parking lot of his and Alec's usual meeting place feeling panicked. Alec had made him paranoid and now his whole family was against him. They needed to talk. They needed to sort this all out.

Alec's car pulled into the lot and a few moments later he stepped out of his car saying, "What's the big emergency?"

"Trying to turn my family against Emma isn't working. They love her. They're defending her. There's no way they're gonna turn against her anytime soon."

"That is the least of our worries," Alec explained, "Annie came to see me tonight. She wants Emma back and she'll stop at nothing to do it."

"What about Sutton?"

"She knows that's out of the question," Alec explained.

"If we give her Emma she's gonna tell everyone. She's gonna tell everyone that—"

"Calm down, Ted. She promised that if we allow her the chance to get Emma back she won't say anything."

"That can't happen," Ted declared, "there was a reason we split them up. Annie is too unstable to take care of either Emma or Sutton."

"She apparently took good care of Emma for almost three years. Ted, you're not the only one who stands to lose something. I could be disbarred. I'm not saying we should decide this tonight, but it's a good option to consider. There's no guarantee that she'll get Emma back anyways. If we pacify her by not getting in her way then when she doesn't get her it's not our fault."

Ted could see Alec's argument, but he didn't like it. He hadn't worked so hard to get Emma away from Annie just to have her take it all back. He couldn't fight it though. If he wanted to protect the bigger secret, he had to let go of this one.

"So Emma what's the craziest thing you've ever done?" Laurel questioned Emma as they sat in her bedroom. The girls had moved on from the unfortunate dinner scene and were now swapping stories from each other's past.

"You mean besides hitting by foster bother with a racquet, hopping on a bus to Phoenix, and switching places with my identical twin sister?"

"Uh yeah," Sutton answered, laughing, "C'mon Emma haven't you ever just cut loose and done something crazy."

"Not in comparison to you," Emma retorted.

"Oh," Sutton feigned hurt, "C'mon you've never done anything bad."

"Honestly...no," Emma answered.

"You are so boring," Sutton stated, "Don't you have any interesting stories?"

"None that you want to hear," Emma defended, "Trust me, Sutton. My childhood is not worth retelling."

There was an awkward pause that Laurel didn't know how to fill. Laurel and Sutton had tried to coax out any sort of story from Emma with no avail. She just refused to talk about her past, "Why did you move homes so often?" Laurel asked.

Emma looked a little surprised by the question. She seemed like she didn't know what Laurel's end game was.

"You don't have to answer," Laurel continued, "I just thought you might want to explain without any preconceived notions."

Emma seemed to relax a little bit. The question wasn't supposed to be prying. It was just a way for Emma to open up about her past without having to be too open. It was a way for her to defend herself without actually feeling like she was defending herself. She seemed to understand, so she looked at Laurel and began, "I don't know if you want to hear this. It's not exactly a warm and fuzzy story."

"You don't have to be ashamed of your past, Emma," Sutton comforted, "Whatever you want to say, we'll listen. Right Laurel?"

She nodded, "You can talk to us, Emma."

Emma smiled, "Remember that you said that."

Laurel smiled and waited for Emma to begin. She looked scared, like she had never had someone who was this willing to hear what she had to say. Laurel reached for her hand and held it gently, urging her on.

"I've spent 14 years in foster care. In that time I've had to move homes for many different reasons. Sometimes the foster parents just move, like when I was 14 and then again six months. My foster mom, one of the more decent ones, got a job in Hong Kong and I wasn't invited. The family before Clarice relocated to Florida, not that I was broken up about them moving. They were kind of worthless as parents. Other times it just becomes too much for them to handle and they have to give you up. That's what happened six months later. My foster mom basically had a nervous breakdown. She locked herself in her bedroom and watched _Leave it to Beaver_ for hours. In some circumstances, you are removed from the home. Eight months after I was placed I found myself in the hospital for a week and waiting to be placed in a new home."

"What happened?" Sutton questioned.

A tear slid down her face and Emma immediately wiped it away, "My foster dad abused me. One night it reached a climax and I ended up in the hospital. He was arrested and social services decided it would be better if I didn't stay with his wife."

"Why'd you put up with it?" Laurel asked, "Why'd you let it get so bad?"

"Because it wasn't that bad until that night," Emma explained, "He'd slapped me a few times, but never hard enough to do any real harm. I'd learned to just do what he asked me to do and when he got in one of his drunken rages to just hide in my room until he passed out on the couch. That night he happened to walk in the door angry and I didn't have a chance to get in my room."

"I still don't get why you wouldn't report him after the first time," Sutton answered, "Why put up with it at all?"

"Sutton, when I was ten I lived in a home where the father would throw things at me. A slap across the face was nothing compared to a frying pan at high speeds. If I report him I might get a better home, but I also might be placed in a home that was much worse. I knew how to deal with him. I didn't know how I would deal with the next abusive foster parent."

Laurel couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could this girl after being abused and judged be so kind? How could she be so compassionate when no one had shown her any? How could she be...Emma?" Laurel sat in awe of Emma. No one she knew had been through what Emma had been through. Justin hadn't even had it that rough. Laurel didn't know what to do, what to say. Emma had been through more than most people dream of going through. She wasn't bitter about it. She wasn't angry. She was better for it. She was a better person because of it. Laurel smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. Emma's strength had dried them up in an instant. Emma had been through so much and she was still willing to help others. At that moment, Laurel decided that she would help Emma no matter what happened.

Kristin was cleaning up the kitchen when Ted came back through the door. She didn't care where he'd been. She just hoped he'd gained some perspective. Kristin continued cleaning the dishes as Ted took a seat at the counter, "We need to talk."

"We do," Kristin stated, "I think you need to talk to someone else a little more."

"And I will, but right now I need to explain to you what's been going on."

"What has been going on, Ted? Why are you so suspicious of Emma?"

"Alec looked into her past and gave me that information. I shouldn't have just taken the information and made assumptions. I should've talked to Emma and gotten her side, but that's not important right now. I need to tell you the big secret that me and Alec have been guarding for all these years."

"Ted, what's going on? What have you been keeping from me?"

"Sutton and Emma's mother is not some random person. It's Annie."

"Excuse me," Kristin said, "As in Phyllis' sister Annie?"

"Yes," Ted confirmed, "Phyllis' sister is Sutton and Emma's birth mother."

Kristin was silent. She was seething and she wasn't sure whether she would be able to control herself if she started talking. She took a deep breath and tried to push down the bubbling fury.

"Kristin, are you okay?"

"How could you keep this from me?" Kristin exploded, "How could you hide such a crucial fact about our daughter from me? What was so bad about Annie being their mother that you had to hide that from me?"

"She wanted her identity to be kept a secret," Ted explained, "Annie was not in a good state of mind at the time and Alec and I were helping her give her daughters a better life."

"So you did this at the request of Annie," Kristin clarified, "Annie asked you to hide her identity."

"She was ashamed and she was scared. She knew that you and I wanted a child, and she knew you and I could give her child a better life than she could. She did it for her girls."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Kristin questioned. If this was supposed to be this big secret, why would Ted expose it now. What did Annie want?

"Because she wants Emma back."

"What? Wait, what about Sutton?"

"She knows she can't get Sutton back. The adoption has been final for seventeen years now. No court would allow her to take Sutton back now, but Emma doesn't have a home. With a little time and some work she could get Emma back."

"That still doesn't answer why you are telling me all of this."

"I don't want you finding out all of this in the midst of the chaos. I didn't want you to be blindsided anymore."

Kristin nodded. She appreciated the sentiment, but she was still hurt. There were so many secrets that Ted had kept from her and they were all pouring out in a matter of days. How was she supposed to trust him anymore? He had lied to her for seventeen years. He had good reason to, but he still had lied. What was she supposed to think about that?

"Kristin please talk to me."

"What else is there to say? You've lied to me for 17 years. It's gonna take me more than five minutes to get over that."

Kristin stormed down the hallway to her bedroom. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She didn't want to fathom what else Ted might've lied about. She was tired and she wanted to curl up with a good book until she fell asleep. Her life was never going to be the same and that was really scary. She had liked her previous life. It wasn't that she didn't like her new life. It was just so much crazier than her old life. She wanted some of that former consistency.


	24. Mom

Chapter 23: Mom

The following morning Annie knocked on the door of the Mercer home. She didn't have a lot of time. Phyllis would be wondering where she was and she didn't want to have that conversation with her quite yet. Right now, she needed to talk to Ted about Emma. Alec had called the night before and agreed to their deal, but he said that she had to talk to Ted first.

The door opened to reveal Ted standing in the doorway. At first he flashed his perfect smile, but then his face turned to dread, "Hello Annie."

"Hello Ted," she greeted, "Can we talk?"

Ted stepped outside and closed the door, "Alec said you'd be over. We need to talk about the girls. I can't stop you from trying to take Emma, but I won't let you take Sutton. No court will let you take her after all of these years."

"Like I told Alec I'm not after Sutton. I only want Emma back and I only want her back if she wants me back. You two already took so much away from her, don't keep her away from her mother any longer if she doesn't want it."

Ted looked down and then back at her, "Do you know where Emma is?"

"According to Sutton she's here in Phoenix, living her life. Was she lying to me?"

"No," Ted answered, "no she wasn't. If you wait out here I'll see if she wants to talk to you."

Ted disappeared inside and Annie started tapping her foot. She really hoped Emma would want her to fight for her. She wanted her daughter back. She wanted both of them back, but she knew that she could never get Sutton back. That would just be too much. She didn't think it was too much to ask for Emma back, especially with what she knew. Emma deserved a good life and with a little time and some hard work Annie could give that to her. She just hoped it was what Emma wanted.

Emma was sitting on the couch stretching out her knee when she heard Ted come back from the door. He'd been there a long time and Emma had gotten curious as to whom he was talking, but she wasn't going to show it. Then she heard him say, "Emma, there's someone outside who wants to talk to you."

Emma was confused. The only person who would come and see her was Ethan and he was supposed to be on his way to school. Maybe he'd stop by, but he wouldn't wait outside. He would've come in. Emma stood from the couch and hobbled on her crutches over to where Ted was standing. She didn't want to talk to him, so she hopped past silently. She wanted to know who wanted to talk to her, especially when only a handful of people knew she was here.

As she pushed the door open she tried to think of who it might be. Her new social worker wouldn't have come here, because she was supposed to meet with him/her later today. Ethan wouldn't have waited outside for her. She soon found that it was the last person she ever expected to see.

"Annie," Emma exclaimed.

"Hello Emma," Annie greeted, "Can we talk?"

"I should get Sutton," Emma deflected turning back toward the door, "I'm sure she's up by now."

"Actually Emma," Annie called, "Right now I just want to talk to you."

Emma didn't know what to say. She was standing face to face with her birth mother and she wanted to talk without Sutton. Emma nodded, unable to say anything more.

Annie took a seat on the steps and Emma awkwardly followed suit. This whole torn ACL thing was becoming a serious burden. Annie was patient with her, waiting until she was situated to start, "So how you been?"

"How have I been?" Emma reiterated, "I spent 14 years in foster care after that fire. What the hell happened?"

"Didn't Sutton explain what happened?"

"She didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it all that much. What happened there?"

"She found me in a mental hospital and then got locked up herself. When she snuck into my room that night she was telling me all of these things I couldn't believe were true. I didn't want to believe what she was saying was true, because it meant that they lied to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"They told me you were dead. They told me you died in the fire. They made me believe I killed you."

"You thought I was dead," Emma confirmed, "that's why I ended up in foster care."

"And how I ended up in a mental hospital. I was so grief-stricken by the thought that I'd killed my own child that I fell off of the deep end. When Sutton came into my room that night and told me you were alive and okay, at first I freaked out because it meant I'd been lied to. However, after I calmed down everything sank in and I knew I had to find you so I could explain."

Emma didn't know what to say. Annie hadn't abandoned her. She hadn't allowed her to go into foster care. She'd been lied to by someone that she obviously didn't want to reveal. Annie was a victim of all of the secrets too. She was as innocent as everyone else.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

The question snapped Emma out of her trance. Did she have any questions? Annie had just cleared up a lot with that whole story, but she did have one. It was a weird question, but she had to ask. "Why me?"

"What?"

"Why did you take me back? Why didn't you take Sutton back?"

"I wanted to take you both back, but I knew Ted before the adoption. Since I used a fake birth mother, I would've never been able to take Sutton back without causing serious problems for everyone involved. I didn't want to risk losing you too, so I let Sutton go."

"So you faked your identity, took me from the Websters, and moved to Fillmore without any intention of taking Sutton back."

"I knew she would be in good hands with Ted. I knew he would love her and care for her like she was his own. I wanted you both back, but it just wasn't possible for me to take Sutton."

"So what happens now?" Emma questioned, "You've explained what happened, where do we go from here?"

"Well that's what I really wanted to talk to you about. We missed out on 14 years together and I don't want to miss anymore. So, if you want, I'll try and gain custody of you. I'll do whatever it takes to get you back, if that's what you want."

Sutton drummed her fingers on the counter, wanting Emma to come back inside. She'd seen Emma go outside just as she was walking out of her room. She'd asked her mom where Emma was going. All she'd said was that she was talking to someone, but to whom could she be talking? Ethan would've come in the house, and no one else would just talk to Emma. It didn't make sense and that concerned Sutton.

"Emma's been talking to Annie a long time," her dad said as he tied his tie.

"Annie? As in...Annie," Sutton stated, "She's talking to Annie."

"Yes Sutton," Ted answered, "She's talking to your birth mother."

Sutton took off toward the door. She was just about to reach for the front door when Emma opened it herself, "Sutton," Emma greeted with surprise, "It's good to see you up."

"What did our mother want?"

"She just wanted to talk," Emma pacified, "She felt like she needed to explain what happened. I wanted to hear her side, especially considering you won't talk about your encounter with her."

"Because she broke down and had very large men in white suits drag me out of her room. Would you want to talk about that?"

"I never pushed you to talk about it, Sutton. Our mom was standing on the front porch willing to explain all of it to me. I wasn't gonna turn her down."

"What else did she want?"

"Why would you think there's more?"

"Emma you might fool everyone else, but you can't fool me. There's something you're not telling me. So, spill."

"I asked her why she took me back and not you."

"And what'd she say?"

"Sutton, Ted and Alec had to have been heavily involved in the shadiness of our adoption. She said that because she wasn't listed as our mother it would get a lot of people in trouble if she tried to get you. You were adopted into a family of people they knew. In order to get you back she would've had to reveal that it was a fake name on the birth certificate. It would've caused a lot more problems than it would've solved."

"So she left me with them out of convenience," Sutton stated hurt. How could she not fight for her? How could she not want to fight for Sutton?

"Sutton I'm on your side, but you need to understand the repercussions that taking you back would have had on a lot of lives. Annie knew that Kristin and Ted would love you like you were their own. She knew that you would be okay with them."

"That's easy for you to say. She wanted you. She fought for you. She left me, never to return."

"Sutton, I swear to you that I am on your side. She should've fought for you. She should've tried to get you back, but you are not gonna get anywhere holding onto all of that abandonment."

"So what am I supposed to do, Emma? Do I just let go of it?"

Emma took her hand, "You don't have to let go, you just have to be willing to listen to her side. You have to be open to the idea of forgiveness. She made mistakes, just like I did, just like you did, just like everyone does. She's not perfect, so don't expect her to be."

A tear streaked down Sutton's cheek. She was surprised how often Emma made her cry without doing anything to her. Emma pulled out all of Sutton's demons. She dug out everything that Sutton kept buried deep inside.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Emma stated.

"Well you are really good at it," Sutton retorted, "How can it only take you two days to find what it has taken my parents years to acknowledge?"

"Sutton I spent 14 years feeling the way you feel. It didn't stop until you gave me the chance to live your life. Your parents love you, don't forget that."

"It's just so hard sometimes," Sutton explained, "to remember that. I look at them and all I see are the lies. All I can think about is all of the times they looked at me and made me think what they were saying was true. It just hurts so much."

"I know," Emma responded, dropping her crutches and wrapping Sutton in another hug, "You don't have to keep hiding that pain, Sutton. Maybe the reason I'm so good at making you cry is because I'm the only one you'll talk to about this stuff."

"Maybe you're the only one I talk to, because you're the only one that gets it."

"I'm glad you can talk to me, but I'm not the one that needs to hear all of this. You have to confront the people that have hurt you and by that I mean you need to talk to them. You need to sit down and calmly talk about everything."

"Have you ever known me do that?"

"You did the night you came back. That first conversation with your parents was as calm as I've seen you. You listened to them and you talked to them, but you didn't work through anything. They know that you left because of all the secrets, but they don't know what sparked the curiosity in the first place. You didn't tell them about how you were feeling before that. They don't know that you felt out of place. They don't know that there's more to this story than what you've already told them."

"Will you be there?"

"If you want me there," Emma stated, "I will be there."

Sutton nodded, smiling. It was nice to have someone she could trust. It was what Sutton needed to move forward. Her whole issue with her life was that she didn't feel like anyone understood what she was going through. Now she had someone who had been there with her. She had someone that was dealing with the same secrets, the same pain, and the same lies. That meant everything to Sutton.

"I do have one favor to ask of you," Emma stated.

"And what's that?"

"Could you grab my crutches before I fall on my face?"

Sutton laughed and then reached down for Emma's crutches. As Sutton stood back up she couldn't help but laugh at Emma trying to balance on one foot.

"You think this is funny."

"A little," Sutton responded.

"Just give them to me."

Sutton handed them over and Emma gratefully situated them underneath her arms. The two girls then made their way back toward the kitchen. Sutton didn't know if Emma had eaten yet, but Sutton was starving. One thing she'd missed while in Los Angeles was her mom's incredible cooking. That was when Sutton realized how right Emma was. She had some unresolved issues with both her parents. Issues that needed to be dealt with if she ever wanted to move forward.


	25. Consequences

Chapter 24: Consequences

Ethan kept glancing at the front door of the school, waiting for Laurel to arrive. Ever since Sutton got back to town it seemed like Emma was avoiding him. It had only been two days, but in all of their video chats and phone calls, she'd seemed distracted. He'd been understanding. She'd been through a lot in the past few days, but he felt like there was more to it than just the tornado that was Sutton. Emma seemed to be pushing him away again, and he couldn't understand why.

Moments later, Laurel rushed through the door, probably looking for Justin. Ethan knew he had a narrow window, so as she passed he caught her by the arm.

"Hey," she exclaimed. When she realized who it was she relaxed a little, "Oh Ethan. What's up?"

"How's everything at home? Are _they_ still getting along?"

"Better than Sutton and I ever did," Laurel answered, "Doesn't _she_ tell you all of this?"

"She's not a very open person," Ethan explained, "And for the past couple days it's almost like she's avoiding me. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"You do realize that most of their animosity toward each other stems from what happened while she was gone, right? You kissed _her_ at Homecoming."

"And she orchestrated a whole devious plan to hurt _her_ for it," Ethan explained.

"Exactly," Laurel said pointedly, "she wasn't mad about Homecoming Queen or that _she_ was better liked. She was mad that _she_ took you away from her. One of the few people in her life who hadn't let her down stole her boyfriend. You and I both know that she is very good at getting what she wants and she's even better at keeping it. When she couldn't have you, she lost it."

"Did they tell you all of this?"

"They didn't have to," Laurel explained, "Sutton's my sister. I know exactly what makes her tick. When _she_ told me that she wanted revenge and then I found out about you and _her_, it didn't take a lot of brain power to figure out where it had all started."

"So why are they okay now? I mean, we didn't break up."

"My guess is that _she_ apologized and from what I heard through the door to her room last night, Sutton realized that she never loved you the way _she_ does. Look Ethan, I'm sure she will talk to you as soon as she can. Last night she got a call from her social worker and then she had a stand off with my dad. By about 8 o' clock she was drained. If you want me to when I get home I'll tell her to call you."

"Thanks Laurel," Ethan said.

Kristin sat next to Emma as her new social worker stared in awe at the story Emma just told, "You took her place so she could follow a lead on your birth mother, while you were running from Nevada police."

"It wasn't my finest moment," Emma admitted, "but all of the charges were dropped and she's back safe and sound."

"What about your knee? I assume that happened while you were pretending to be her."

Emma nodded. Kristin was worried about that aspect of it. How were they going to explain to the hospital what had happened? How were they going to prevent fraud charges? Kristin only had one saving grace on that note.

"My husband works at the hospital where she was treated. He might be able to dissuade them from making a big deal."

"When was the injury?"

"Four days ago," Kristin responded.

"Well then we might be able to fix this. What exactly did you do to your knee?"

"I tore my ACL playing tennis," Emma responded.

"So the visit was a necessary visit," the social worker inferred, "Did you have any follow-ups?"

"I had a consult with an orthopedic surgeon the next day. He told me I needed surgery."

"Alright," the social worker responded, "this is all very good. The fact is that medicaid will probably cover the costs for her. We just have to figure out how to transfer the claim to them instead of your insurance."

"So I won't face fraud charges," Emma clarified.

"Hopefully not. Besides the recent run-in with the law your records clean. I'll do my best to keep that from happening. Now moving on, we need to get you placed in a home. I assume besides her twin sister there are still no living relatives."

Emma didn't answer right away. Kristin knew that she'd spoken to Annie on the porch that morning. She assumed Emma knew about Annie, so why wasn't she saying anything? Emma finally sighed and answered, "That is correct."

"Alright. And you have been staying at the Mercer's for the past few weeks."

"Yes," Emma answered sounding a little sad that it was coming to an end. Kristin was sad too. She liked having Emma in the house. She had liked getting to know Emma. She couldn't believe that was about to change.

"As you probably know by now, Emma, it takes a little time to place you in a new home. If the Mercers are okay with it, I'll allow you to stay with them one more night while I find you an official home."

"Really?"

"It's not exactly protocol, but you have been living with them for a few weeks now and you seem to be okay. One more night isn't gonna hurt anyone. Besides, it'll give me time to find you a good home in the area."

Kristin saw the smile light up Emma's face. Things were looking up for her finally, and Kristin was glad that it was working out that way. Emma had been dealt such a bad hand that it was nice to see her get a good one for once.

"Now we have to talk about enrolling you in Arroyo, correct?"

"I guess that's the other complicated subject, isn't it?"

"Yes. You see, technically what you and Sutton did was plagiarism and I'm pretty sure the school is not gonna be happy about that. How do you pose we fix this one?"

"I don't know," Emma responded, "We weren't trying to cause all of these problems. They just sort of happened."

"I know, but you and Sutton are gonna have to face the consequences of those decisions. Now I've spoken to the principal at Arroyo. I told him that there is a new student, Emma Becker, that needs to be enrolled in Arroyo and that she needs to meet with him personally. He can meet with you this afternoon. My suggestion is that you and your sister walk in there and accept whatever punishment he decides to give you. Okay?"

Emma looked scared. She looked like a little kid who'd just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She had made some major mistakes recently and she was now going to have to face them. Both her and Sutton were about to face the music and Kristin knew it wouldn't be pretty. Finally Emma nodded her head and answered, "Okay."

"She asked to speak with Emma...alone," Alec heard Ted explain.

"Didn't Emma tell you guys what she said?"

"Emma and I aren't exactly on speaking terms and Kristin didn't ask."

"What about Sutton?"

"She went racing down the hallway when she found out it was Annie outside. When she came back Emma and her were arm and arm smiling with each other."

"So you have no idea what happened on your front steps," Alec clarified.

"I only know that Annie was gonna ask Emma if she wanted to live with her," Ted explained, "but I don't know whether she asked and if she did what Emma's answer was."

"It's okay Ted," Alec pacified, "Look Annie said she wouldn't say anything. We gave her what she wanted, so she'll give us what we want. All you need to do now is make nice with Emma. Try to get on her side. Get her to trust you again."

"I don't think it's that easy," Ted stated, "Your doubts made me the bad guy with everyone. I don't know if Sutton even trusts me anymore."

"You and Sutton have always been close. I'm sure one lapse in judgement won't change 17 years of bonding."

"So you just want me to befriend Emma and hope that it will get Sutton back on my side as well."

"We need them against Annie. If you can get them back on your side you will have more leverage with them if Annie decides to spill. Ted, this has stayed buried for 17 years. I refuse to let all of our hard work go to waste."


	26. Revealed

Chapter 25: Revealed

As Kristin's car pulled into the Arroyo High School parking lot, Emma closed her eyes. It had been a few hours since her meeting with her social worker. She had left that meeting with mixed feelings. She was glad she had one more night with the Mercers, but she was afraid to face the consequences that were about to come. Sutton and her had broken the rules and they were about to pay for it. Even Sutton looked a little on edge about the whole thing. The car slowed to a stop and Emma opened her eyes.

"You ready," Kristin questioned.

"Not really," Emma and Sutton answered in unison. The two looked at each other, surprised but also in awe. Emma unbuckled her seat belt and awkwardly stepped out of the car. Sutton followed suit from the back seat. Emma looked toward the school. So this was really about to happen. She was about to make the switch public.

"You know everyone is going to stare at us when we walk in there," Sutton pointed out, "Are you ready for that?"

"In all the weeks I spent being you that was the one thing I could not get used to."

"The trick is to ignore it," Sutton explained, "The less you show that you notice it, the more you start to believe it's not there."

"If we wait five minutes everyone will be in class."

"Emma, you're gonna have to face them at some point. It's either now where you don't have to speak to them, because you have to get to the principal's office, or tomorrow where everyone will swarm you as soon as you stop walking. If you face them now when you have to answer their questions you'll be prepared...by me."

Emma laughed, "You won't leave me."

"Well I have a feeling we will be in separate classes, but I will find you in the hallways and counter any questions you don't want to answer. Emma, you've been there for me so many times in the past two days. The least I can do is prepare you to be part of the in-crowd at Arroyo."

"Thanks Sutton," Emma stated, "It means a lot."

"That's what sisters are for. Now let's go face the music...together."

Emma hopped forward and Sutton stayed right in step with her. They were about to face the music, but they were about to face it together. When they reached the front door Sutton pushed it open and Emma hopped inside. The first thing she heard was, "Hey Sutton."

When Sutton actually came through the doors and flipped her hair out of her face there was an audible gasp from everyone who'd been paying attention. For a moment, the twins just stood there. Then, Sutton looked at Emma and whispered, "Together."

The two started down the hall, bringing silence in their wake. Emma caught the flash of several camera phones from the corner of her eye. The short walk from the front door to the main office seemed miles long as the hall quieted more and more. Finally the girls turned into the office and approached the main secretary.

She looked up and froze. The secretary was no better than the students outside. Finally Sutton broke the stalemate, "We have an appointment with Mr. Smith about a new student enrolling at Arroyo. He should be expecting an Emma Becker."

The secretary reached for the phone and dialed his extension, "Yes Mr. Smith. Emma Becker is here to see you...you're just gonna have to see for yourself."

She placed the phone back in it's cradle just as the door to Mr. Smith's office opened. The girl's backs were to him so the first person he saw was Kristin, "Mrs. Mercer what brings you in today?"

Emma wanted to turn around, but Sutton grabbed her shoulder, "We agreed to let my mom talk first. Let her do that."

"I am bringing your new student for her meeting with you."

"Is that so? I thought her social worker would be the one to drive her here. How'd you get roped into doing it?"

"She's been staying at my house," Kristin explained, "And if you don't mind I'd like to sit in on the meeting."

"I don't see why not, but I believe Sutton will have to wait outside. That is her standing by the desk isn't it."

"It is," Kristin acknowledged, "but I think you're gonna want her in there too."

"And why's that?"

"Because I'm Sutton," Sutton exclaimed, turning to face Mr. Smith.

Emma followed suit, "And I'm Emma."

Laurel was standing in her last class of the day talking to her friends. The bell for it to begin would ring in a few minutes and she would be one step closer to the end of the day. Just as she was about take her seat a girl in her class came up to her, "Laurel, I didn't know Sutton had a twin."

"How did you..."

"They just walked down the hallway and into the main office. Your mom was there too."

"What?"

Laurel hopped off the desk she was sitting on and raced to the door. Right before she got through the door the bell rang and the teacher forced her back to her seat. She sulked to her seat and sat down. She immediately knew this was going to be the longest class of the day.

"So let me get this straight," Sutton heard Mr. Smith say, "You, Emma, switched places with Sutton and it's been you who has been doing all of Sutton's work."

Emma nodded.

"So where have you been Miss Mercer?"

"Los Angeles," Sutton answered simply.

"Did you know about this Mrs. Mercer?"

"I found out Monday night," her mom responded, "hence why neither one of them has been at school since then."

Mr. Smith looked amazed that this was even possible. He ran his hand through his thin hair and pinched his nose. It was obvious he had no idea how to handle this.

"Mr. Smith," her mom started, "I'm sure we all want to get out of this meeting as quickly as possible. Could you please just tell them what their punishment is going to be?"

"It's not that simple Mrs. Mercer. The two of them cheated. There are consequences for that. It's just that I've never dealt with this form of cheating before. Usually I would require Sutton to receive a zero on the paper and force her to rewrite it, but this is weeks of work we're talking about."

"What if Sutton made up all of the work she missed," her mom suggested, "If she made up all of missed work what would happen then?"

"I'll talk to her teachers. If they're willing to give her all of the work, then she has to make it up by the end of semester or whatever due date the teacher gives her. Does that sound fair Miss Mercer?"

For a moment Sutton considered arguing it. That was a lot of work that she would have to make up and she didn't want to do it. Then she felt a slight pressure on her knee. Apparently Emma had figured out her intention and was trying to stop her. Sutton looked into Emma's pleading eyes and realized she had to accept it even if it wasn't fair, "Yes sir," she stated.

"Well now that that's taken care of we need to get Miss Becker squared away. So, you have been here instead of in your own school, where I see you were enrolled in several AP classes. Now in order for you to take those same AP classes here you will also have to make up the work that you've missed. Is that fair?"

Emma nodded, "Yes sir."

"Alright, furthermore, both of you will stay after school in detention until all of the work is done. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Sutton and Emma said in unison.


	27. Amends

Chapter 26: Amends

After school, Ethan waited outside the Mercer house for Emma to get home. He'd heard about the big scene the two twins had made at school. When he'd gotten out of his last class they were still in there. Most likely they were still finalizing Emma's transfer, but he didn't know. He figured it would be better if he waited for her at the house instead of at school. That way they could talk without being watched.

Mrs. Mercer's car pulled into driveway and moments later the Emma, Sutton, and Mrs. Mercer came up the steps.

"Ethan," Kristin greeted, "what are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to Sutton for a minute."

Sutton looked as surprised as Emma. The twins looked at each other and then Emma nodded. She then followed Mrs. Mercer into the house and clicked the door closed.

"Sutton," Ethan began.

"Hold on a minute, Ethan," Sutton jumped in, "Let me talk first. You were my boyfriend and kissing my twin sister was the worst thing you could've done."

"I know," Ethan conceded, "And I'm sorry for that."

"Let me finish. What you did was horrible, but me sleeping with one of my friend's brother was worse. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I strung you along. You were always there for me and I was never there for you. You deserve to be happy and if Emma makes you happy then I won't stand in your way."

"So you're okay with me and Emma dating," Ethan clarified.

"As happy as an ex can be," Sutton explained, "Look Ethan, I'm not going to jump for joy and be willing to talk for hours about all of the good times you two have, but I won't try and take you back or ruin your lives."

"Wow Sutton," Ethan said, "I think that's the first time I've seen you ever let go of anything."

"You can thank Emma. She's helped me more in the past two days than my parents could in the past seventeen years. She also loves you way more than I ever would, so she's yours. I'm not entirely happy about it, but I'm getting there. Now what did you want to say to me?"

"I just wanted to apologize for how everything happened. It wasn't right of me to kiss Emma while we were still together."

"Apology accepted, now, I believe there's someone else you need to talk to right now."

Sutton opened the door and gestured for Ethan to follow her. As they walked down the hallway, Ethan couldn't help but reflect on the change in Sutton. Five days ago she was hell bent on revenge. He didn't think anything would stop her and the one thing that did was who she was bent on destroying. Ethan was impressed. However, he sort of knew that the person who would end up helping Sutton was going to be Emma. He didn't know why he knew that, but he did.

As they reached the living room, Ethan noticed that Emma was drumming her fingers on the counter, impatiently. She was probably wondering what he and Sutton were talking about. For a moment he reveled in her jealousy, then he cleared his throat. Emma looked up and brightened when she saw him standing there.

"Hi," she greeted cautiously.

"Hey," he responded.

Neither one moved. Neither one spoke. They just stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Well I'll just leave you two lovebirds then," Sutton exclaimed.

Moments later they were alone and Ethan dared to approach her. She stood, leaning on the counter for support. He stopped maybe a yard away from her. They were both tongue-tied. Ethan didn't know whether he should wait for her to ask, or if he should just explain.

"Are we okay?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Emma responded.

"I know it's only been two days and they've been crazy for you, but you just seem to be avoiding me."

"I was," Emma admitted.

"Why?"

"You're the sore spot," she explained, "you and me were the big reason Sutton was so bent on revenge. I thought that maybe if I didn't throw our relationship in her face, she might be a little easier to get along with while we were still making amends with each other."

"So you did this for Sutton," Ethan clarified, "After everything she put you through, you still thought of her feelings in all of this."

"Think about it Ethan. Every time she went off of the deep end it was because of something that happened between you and me. She stopped talking to me after we kissed at Homecoming..."

"She devised the whole cabin scene after I told her I never loved her and that I was in love with you."

"She's my sister, Ethan. I did hurt her, just like everyone else she's ever trusted. It wasn't fair for me to throw that in her face when she was still figuring out all of the other pain."

Ethan didn't say anything. He just pulled her close and kissed her. It was perfect, just like the one at Homecoming. When he released her, he still felt a slight tingle in his lips.

"What was that for?"

"You are incredible. You care so much and love so deeply that you can even forgive a person who was willing to hurt everyone around you in order to hurt you."

"Well," Emma stated, "You did help. You're the one that told me I should fight. I mean it was Lexi who finally convinced me, but you were there for me even when I wasn't there myself. I knew I could count on you and that helped me face her when the time came."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The inevitable moment of silence filled the living room air as neither person knew how to follow that. They gazed into each other's eyes and for a moment that was all that mattered. Finally, Ethan broke the silence, "Now that Sutton is less of an issue, I want to know all about the past two days."

"I want to know all about the past two days," Emma heard Ethan say to her as he helped her toward the couch.

She took a seat next to him and said, "Well let's see. Basically everyone in Sutton's life knows the truth. I'm getting placed in a new foster home tomorrow and I'm starting school at Arroyo as Emma Becker. Oh and both me and Sutton have detention after school until we make up all of the work we've missed pretending to be each other."

"Did Char and Mads find out before today?"

"They sorta walked in on the whole situation. They came over yesterday afternoon to cheer 'Sutton' up and while I was talking to them, Sutton walked in the room. It was a very interesting confrontation."

"Are they okay?"

"They will be," Emma responded, "They were hurt, but I think they realized that Sutton really is changing. She's actually showing humility now and taking responsibility. I mean it's only been two days, but she's shown some of the Sutton I thought I knew when we first met online. She really does care about her friends and family. She just feels like she's been let down by a lot of people that shouldn't have let her down."

"How are you doing with all of this?"

"I'm fine," Emma answered, "I know I've said that a lot lately, but I am. I thought when this secret came out there was gonna be a lot more backlash than there was. I mean I'm not getting off scott free, but I didn't lose Kristin. I didn't lose Laurel, and I didn't lose Mads and Char. I thought I was going to lose everything and I really didn't lose anything."

"How's Sutton doing? How angry was everyone when they found out?"

"Ted and Kristin were just glad she was back. I think it helped that she was open with them about why she left and that she accepted responsibility for her actions. Mads and Char were furious at first, but again, Sutton was very apologetic and remorseful. They really couldn't stay mad at her when they realized how bad she felt about hurting them."

"How did you get Sutton to make such a huge turn around in such little time?"

Emma didn't know how to answer that question. All she'd done is let Sutton talk to her. She'd asked the right questions at the right time. She'd listened to her and she hadn't dismissed her position. She'd tried to understand Sutton. She'd forced herself to believe that there was more to Sutton than what Sutton showed the world. She'd been what she always thought a sister should be. "I didn't get her to do anything," Emma explained, "I just made it so she felt like she could talk to me. Sutton's turn around is entirely on her."

Ethan smiled again, "You never fail to impress me, Emma."

"I try," she responded.

There was a pause, not an awkward one, but a pause nonetheless. Both of them wanted to be off the subject of Sutton and everything that had happened in the past two days. That's probably why Ethan asked, "Tomorrow is gonna be crazy for you. Are you ready for an onslaught of questions?"

"Not really," Emma answered, "the big problem is going to be telling people that I'm not Sutton. This torn ACL is complicating everything. Sutton can't just take over her life and act like we never switched places. We have to come clean about it to everyone. We have to face the consequences of our actions."

Ethan took her hand, "No matter what happens I will always be there for you," he promised, "you aren't alone anymore, Emma. You have people you can rely on."

Emma smiled, "It's funny, Sutton said the same thing to me earlier today. Are you two gonna be okay being there for me together?"

"Sutton and I came to terms with everything," Ethan explained, "When I asked to speak with her it was because I wanted to apologize for how everything happened. I didn't expect her to return the favor, but she did. She apologized for everything. I don't think she'll rip my head off if we spend ten minutes in the hall together."

Emma had been avoiding that question the whole time. She didn't want to seem nosy, but she was curious. Ethan had asked to speak with his ex-girlfriend. That was disconcerting to Emma. Now that she knew what had been said, she relaxed. Ethan was hers, and only hers. No more drama with Sutton. No more drama with anyone. Ethan and her could be together. She leaned forward and sealed their new found freedom with a kiss.

* * *

><p>AN: The long awaited Ethan/Emma scene. Trust me there will be more of them in the future.


	28. Honesty

Chapter 27: Honesty

Ted stepped into his house, ready to make amends with Emma. Alec was right. He needed her on his side. If Annie did decide to out him and Alec, he would need as many allies as possible to turn against Annie. His hope was that if it came down to him or her, they'd choose him. It was a stretch, but Annie had a less than savory past. If he could get them to doubt her like Alec had gotten him to doubt Emma he would be okay. It was just a matter of convincing her that Annie was dangerous.

Ted entered the living room to see Emma sitting on the couch with her knee propped up on a pillow and a binder laying in her lap. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard with efficiency. She looked up briefly before returning to her work. Apparently she hadn't forgotten the night before.

"What you working on?" Ted ventured.

"History notes," Emma explained, "I have a twenty page reading due tomorrow."

"You haven't even started your classes yet."

"I'd rather get ahead than fall behind," Emma answered righting another note in her notebook. They must've stopped to pick some supplies up for Emma before coming home.

Ted smiled. It was nice to see a kid as dedicated to school as Emma. He took a step toward her, trying to sum up the courage to apologize. He pressed his hand to the back of his neck and began, "Emma..."

"What do you want, Ted? Here to make nice with me? Hope I just forget about what you said last night and move forward?"

"I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't fair for me to make those kinds of assumptions without asking you first."

"You shouldn't have made those assumptions at all. I understand why you did. You don't know me. I lied to you for weeks impersonating your daughter. You had no reason to trust me based on that, but I felt like we'd bonded. I thought you were past all of that. That's how it seemed when you were convincing me to tell Kristin."

"I thought I was, Emma," Ted explained taking a seat next to her, "Look Emma I want to trust you, I really do. There have been so many lies and so many secrets that it makes it hard for me to trust you."

"What about all of the lies you've spun in the past 17 years? Do you expect me to trust you when I know all of the secrets you've kept from your family?"

Ted had to be careful. He had to make sure that it was just the secrets that he knew she knew, "You mean me telling Sutton her mother was dead. You mean hiding the fact that Annie is your mother. I've already explained why I did that."

"And I wanted to explain everything to you, but you never gave me the chance. You asked me all of those questions, thinking you already knew the answer. The reason I moved homes so often was never my fault. My record was clean before the whole situation in my last home, but you missed that fact when you and Alec went snooping into my past."

"Why do you think Alec is involved?"

"He's the DA. He has access to those records. Look Ted, I understand why you did it and I don't blame you. I would want to know who is living in my home, but I thought I was done with all of those misgivings. I thought you and Kristin were different than all of my other homes. I thought you believed me."

"I did...I do. What do you need me to do to make this up to you?"

"What do you need to know to trust me?"

"What?"

"I need you to trust me," Emma explained, "You won't trust me until you know more. So, what do you need to know?"

Ted was surprised, but happy. Emma was at least letting him in. The next step was getting her to trust him, "Why did you really move around so much?"

"Different reasons. Usually they moved away or other things made it too difficult for them to be foster parents at the time. On one occasion my foster mom had a mental breakdown and locked herself in her room. Usually it was just not possible for the parents to continue taking care of me. On rare occassion I was removed from the home. I was fifteen the last time it happened."

"Why were you removed?"

"I ended up in the hospital after my foster father assaulted me."

Ted was silent. He had been such a jerk to her. Strike that. He'd been an ass to her, a complete and total ass. He really had misjudged her and he felt bad about that. More importantly, he had a genuine reason to get her on his side. It was no longer an act. He had made a mistake and he now had to make amends. He could trust attempt to trust her again.

"Was that all you needed to know? Did you just need to know I wasn't a delinquent problem child who has been hardened by her life in foster care?"

"Emma I really am sorry for my behavior. If I had concerns I should've just come and ask you instead of going behind your back."

"I'm done lying about my past Ted," Emma responded, "I've had enough secrets for a lifetime. I don't want to keep any more."

He didn't want to keep any more secrets either, but he had to do it. If his secrets came out it would tear his family apart. It would tear his life apart. It would tear Alec's life apart. For seventeen years he had worked to keep from hurting his family. He and Alec had lied, and deceived, and covered up so much in the past. There was no turning back now. He would do whatever it took to keep the rest of his secrets hidden. Sparks would fly if any more of his secrets were exposed.

* * *

><p>Sutton walked down the hall toward the kitchen, texting Mads and Char ferociously. There was only so much you could say in one meeting after just finding out that your best friend had been lying to you. They had been texting nonstop ever since that night, trying to catch up on the weeks they'd missed. Things were returning to normal, or as normal as they could be considering everything that had happened.<p>

As she drew closer to the kitchen she could hear her own voice and her dad's voice discussing something fervently. She pressed herself to the wall and strained her ears to hear.

"I made a mistake, Emma," her dad stated, "didn't you once ask me to forgive Ethan for his mistakes?"

"Didn't you also tell me that you wouldn't? Aren't you the one that told me I, as Sutton, couldn't see him?"

"I was concerned for...my...daughter's safety. I acted like any concerned parent."

"But you're not my father," Emma noted, "doesn't that make it irrelevant?"

There was a pause before Ted answered, "Nothing that's happened in the past few weeks is irrelevant. You are family, Emma. Whether you want it or not you're stuck with us."

There was silence and Sutton hoped it was a good thing. She poked her head around the corner to see what was going on. As the two came into view Sutton smiled at the picture of them hugging. She was glad Emma had officially been accepted by her dad as part of the family. With Emma as part of the family, Sutton would have a true ally. She would have back up against her parents. She would have someone who understood her. Emma might have given her that anyways, but it was easier this way. She needed Emma, more so than she was willing to admit aloud.

Sutton stepped fully around the corner and announced her presence by clearing her throat. Emma and her dad released each other, looking surprised by her arrival.

"Oh, how sweet. Now Dad, could you give me and Emma some privacy?"

Ted nodded and stood from the couch. Moments later he disappeared around the corner.

"Well I guess I'm never gonna get this reading done, am I?"

"No you're not, because there is more to life than boring studying. Like dishing what my dad just said to you."

"He apologized for last night. I explained to him the circumstances and forgave him for his actions."

"That's it?"

"Yes Sutton," Emma responded.

"Well I'm happy for you," Sutton answered, "I'm glad he accepted you as part of the family."

"I never said that," Emma pondered, "you were totally listening in on the other side of the wall."

"Only the last part of it," Sutton conceded, "what can I say? Old habits die hard."

"Is there no privacy in this house?"

"No, not really," Sutton answered, "There's always someone lurking around the corner."

Emma laughed at Sutton's teasing remarks only half-heartedly, maybe because that was becoming more and more true. Sutton was beginning to feel watched. She was beginning to feel like she could not have a conversation with anyone without someone listening in on it. Ever since she got back there had been a presence lurking over her. It was like she could never get away. She could never be alone.

_Ding-dong._

Sutton turned toward the sound of the doorbell ringing, "Could you get that?" Emma requested.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to answer the door," Sutton responded.

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows you have a twin. I think it's okay for you to answer the door. Besides, you wouldn't make your crippled sister get it, would you?"

A fake pleading look crossed Emma's face and Sutton couldn't help but laugh. Her sister was surprisingly good at that. She strutted down the hallway toward the front door. In the back of her mind she hoped her mom would cross her path and keep her from answering the door, but there was no such luck. As she placed her hand on the handle and pulled the door open she prepared herself to see everyone except who was actually standing in front of her.

"Annie."


	29. Fate

Chapter 28: Fate

Kristin stepped into the living room where Emma was still working on her homework. She scribbled furiously into one of the notebooks she'd bought her earlier that day. She flipped to the next page of her reading and wrote another note. Luckily the teacher had let her borrow a textbook until she could get her own. Kristin stood there a little longer before Emma noticed she was there.

"Oh, hi Kristin," she greeted, "Did you need something?"

"Did Sutton get the door?"

"Yeah. I thought she'd have returned by now, but no such luck."

"Who would she not invite into the house?"

Emma nodded, "Maybe it's..." Emma trailed off.

"Annie? Do you think she could be talking to your birth mother?"

"You know about her?"

"Ted told me last night," Kristin explained taking a seat next to Emma, "Is that the reason you told the social worker that your birth mother wasn't an option, because you thought I didn't know?"

"Well yeah," Emma answered, "I know you've been bombarded by as many secrets as me and Sutton have. I didn't really think it was fair to drop another one on you when you were being so nice to me."

"So you're whole reason for not saying anything was to spare my feelings."

"Pretty much," Emma responded.

Kristin wrapped her arms around Emma and pulled her into a tight hug.

"What was that for?" Emma questioned when they released.

"I'm just so amazed by who you turned out to be," Kristin answered, "You have not had the easiest life, but you're not bitter or angry about it. I know you're not my daughter, but I do feel a bond with you. And if I could be your foster mom, I would do it. I wish Sutton and I could have the relationship you and I developed in such a short time period."

"Why can't you?"

"In all of this, I think she's most angry with me. I don't know what happened, but she just seemed to push farther away from me than Ted. I would like to get it back, but I don't know if she wants it."

"I know she wants it. From what Sutton's told me it sounds like this goes deeper than just you and Ted lying to her and I think that scares her a little bit. She is just now realizing what this is all about for her and I firmly believe that when she's ready she'll tell you everything."

"You're not gonna give me any hint are you?"

"It's Sutton's story," Emma explained, "If she wants you to know it, she'll tell you."

* * *

><p>"I know you probably have a lot of questions for me," Annie started looking at Sutton, "But before you begin I just want you to know that I did want you back. If circumstances had been different I would have fought for you. I would have done everything in my power to get both of you back."<p>

Sutton was seated next to Annie on the front steps. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she maintained her composure, "So why didn't you? Why couldn't you fight for me?"

"I knew Ted and Kristin prior to this. Because of the fake name on the birth certificate it meant I would either have to come clean to the authorities and possibly lose you forever or let you go for the time being. It would've hurt a lot of people for me to take you back. It wasn't right for me to do that."

"So you fought for Emma because you had a better chance at getting her back without getting in trouble."

"It sounds horrible and I'm sorry I didn't fight for you, but I knew you were in good hands. I knew that the Mercers would treat you like their own. I knew you would be safe."

"What about Emma? Didn't you trust the Websters to give her a good home?"

"I didn't know the Websters at all. I didn't know anything about them. I couldn't trust them with my daughter."

"I thought Ruth was in charge of finding the homes," Sutton clarified, "that's what she told me back in Los Angeles."

"She was," Annie conceded, "It doesn't mean she wasn't influenced to ensure that you ended up with the Mercers."

"This is all so screwed up," Sutton stated, "Did any of you stop to think what would happen to me or Emma? Did you ever think about what would happen when we wanted to know more? Did you ever think of us?"

"None of us did," Annie explained, "but I'm trying to make it right. That's why I asked Emma if she wanted me fight for custody of her. I wanted to know what she wanted."

"You're gonna try and get Emma back. Were you gonna give me the same offer?"

"Sutton, although I want you back with all the years that have passed I would never be able to get custody of you, nor would I want to take you away from the only life you've ever known. Emma got the short end of the stick with this and I wanted to make it right."

Sutton looked hurt. Apparently Emma hadn't told her about this, not that she blamed Emma. Annie knew it would hurt Sutton, that's why she was telling her now. That's why she was explaining.

"She turned down my offer," Annie continued, "She told me not to fight for custody of her."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because of you, Sutton."

"Me? What do I have to do with this?"

"Sutton, the one thing Emma has always wanted is a family and you let her have that when you let her take your place. She cares for you so much and she doesn't want to lose you again. She told me that if I couldn't take both of you she didn't want to be taken at all."

"So she gave up the opportunity to live with you, because I didn't have the same opportunity. Why would she do that?"

"I couldn't tell you," Annie responded. She really didn't understand it. She told Emma that it would take a while for her to be in a position to fight for her, but she was willing to do the work. Emma had turned down the offer, saying it wouldn't be right. Annie had accepted her decision, but she didn't understand it. Why would she choose to remain in foster care? Annie had come to realize that although Emma's life had been hard, she had not been negatively impacted by it. There was a part of Annie that thought she was actually better for it.

"You don't seem crazy," Sutton stated.

"Excuse me?"

"I found you in a mental institution and then when I brought up Emma you called security on me. I don't understand why you are so different from that first experience."

"When you found me I was a grief stricken parent. I thought I had killed my own child. When you told me she wasn't dead I couldn't believe you were real. I'd spent 14 years being told that I was schizophrenic. I eventually started to believe it. When I calmed down I realized you weren't lying and you were real. I realized that I'd been lied to for years and I needed to make this right. You found me when I was in a very bad place, but I'm back and I'm gonna find out the truth behind all of the lies. I'm gonna answer all of those questions you asked me at the clinic."

"It's funny," Sutton responded, "that's what I said to Emma when I got back to Phoenix from Paris. That vow almost cost me everything."

"Sutton, I lost 14 years of my life because of the lies."

"And I lost my identity. When I found out my parents lied to me I felt like everything I'd known was a lie. I thought that justified lying, but it doesn't. It just made me as bad as them."

"Are you telling me you don't want to know the truth?"

"I'm telling you I don't care either way anymore. You're right, Ted and Kristin have given me everything I could ever need. They gave me a home, a family, love. After hearing what Emma has been through I just can't keep digging when it is obviously hurting my family in process."

"What changed your mind? When you came into my room you seemed so desperate for answers."

"Emma did," Sutton explained, "After realizing what could've happened to me, I just couldn't stay angry."

Annie felt a little hurt. It was her own selfish wants that forced Emma into that situation. If she had just left everything alone, Emma would've grown up in a house similar to Sutton's. It was her fault Emma had ended up in foster care.

"Please don't take this the wrong way," Sutton begged, "I don't blame you for what happened to Emma, and I don't think Emma does either. You were lied to just like us. When I found the house in Fillmore and showed it to Emma she had all of these wonderful memories. Just because someone lied to you doesn't mean it's your fault Emma ended up in foster care."

"I was selfish. She had a good home, a good life, everything and I was selfish enough to take it away. I've made a lot of mistakes and taking Emma away from the Websters is probably the one I regret the most."

"But if you hadn't taken her away, she probably wouldn't be here in Phoenix right now. Who knows whether Emma and I would've ever met, or whether she would be who she is today. You didn't take me away and look what happened. I became a selfish, spoiled brat."

"How is it that you are comforting me? I'm your mother, isn't that my job?"

"You haven't spent as much time with Emma, recently, as I have. I don't know how she does it, but she really makes you see what's important. She listens to you and never dismisses your problems. I really don't know why she is so compassionate, but she is. It really makes you question what's important to you."

Annie had gotten that feeling when she'd spoken to Emma earlier that day. The way she considered how Sutton would feel if she was taken and not Sutton, the way she'd figured everything out without having to be told most of the details. Emma was a perceptive person. She understood a lot more than any 17 year old should.

"I do have another question for you, though."

"Shoot."

"Are you going to stay in Phoenix? Are Emma and I going to get to know you better?"

"If I have anything to say about it, that's the plan," Annie answered placing her hand on Sutton's knee, "I am your mother. I can't just walk out of your lives again. If you and Emma want to spend time with me, I will make sure that happens."

"I appreciate the offer and I do want to spend time with you. I'm sure Emma would like to as well, but I really can't speak for her. However, I do have a favor to ask of you for Emma."

"Anything."


	30. Expectations

Chapter 29: Expectations

Maybe 15 minutes later, Emma was sitting on the living room couch still talking to Kristin when Sutton reappeared. She had an almost euphoric look on her face and that's when Emma knew that it was Annie who had been at the door.

"You've been gone a long time, Sutton," Emma noted, "who was at the door that you couldn't invite inside?"

"I'm pretty sure you know who, Emma," Sutton stated, trying to be discrete, but glancing at Kristin a few too many times.

"Sutton," Emma answered, "Ted told her last night. She knows Annie is our birth mother."

"Oh," Sutton responded, "Well it was Annie at the door and she told me something very interesting about you Emma."

"Did she...about her offer?"

"Yes. She also told me your response, which I really don't understand."

"There's not much to explain, Sutton. It wasn't fair."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Kristin interrupted.

"This morning, when Annie visited Emma, she offered to fight for custody of her, but Emma turned her down."

"Why would you do that?"

"She said that she couldn't take you back," Emma said to Sutton, "and I didn't want to live with our mother if we couldn't both be there. It wasn't fair that I would get to live with her and you wouldn't."

"So you sacrificed your happiness for our sisterhood."

"Sutton, I don't know Annie. Yes I lived with her when I was a baby, but I don't feel any bond with her. You are my sister. We have been through a lot together in the past few weeks. I would always choose you over Annie."

Sutton brushed a tear from her eye and then turned on Kristin, "That brings me to my next question. I was wondering if you and I could talk."

Kristin looked surprised. Her gaze turned on Emma as if to say, "How'd you know?" Emma thought about getting up and leaving, but she remembered her conversation with Sutton earlier. She remembered how Sutton had asked her to stay and support her. She did stand, but it was to hobble over to Sutton.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asked Sutton.

Sutton nodded and then helped Emma over to the opposing couch. As they took a seat, Emma wasn't sure what Sutton was going to say, but she knew she had to support Sutton in this. Sutton needed to have someone who was on her side in this. She knew Sutton was going to have to let loose and not hold anything back, and that Emma would have stay on Sutton's side through it all.

"First of all," Sutton began, "I want you to know that I am sorry for my behavior in the last few months. I acted like a spoiled, selfish brat and I am sorry about that. However, I want you to understand my side in all of this, moreso than what I said two days ago."

"I'm all ears, Sutton."

"Up until maybe six months ago I was okay with being an adopted child. It was when I had to do that family tree that I started questioning everything."

Kristin nodded, seeming to understand what Sutton was talking about. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained silent.

"When you and Dad told me that my birth mother was dead, again I was okay, but then I found out she was alive and all of a sudden I was not okay with it. All of the times someone had pointed out that I was abandoned and that not even my own mother wanted me just came flooding back to the surface, and I got really angry. You lied to me and it seemed like you were just protecting yourself."

Kristin flinched and again she looked like she wanted to defend herself, but she never spoke. It was the first time Emma had seen Kristin stay silent for so long. When she'd tried to admit that she wasn't Sutton before she had jumped in every chance she got. Maybe it was because it was a direct attack on Kristin, or maybe she just got the feeling that it was better to just listen, but Kristin didn't speak. She sat open and waiting for her to finish.

"As I discovered more and more truth, it made everything hurt so much more. All of the times I hadn't felt good enough came rushing to the surface. I started to resent Laurel, moreso than I ever did before, and you because you seemed to favor her. She was smart and talented and it felt like you wanted her more than you wanted me. She was the perfect the daughter and she was yours. It just made everything so much worse."

Emma had no idea this was how Sutton felt. She knew that her and Kristin's relationship was strained, but she didn't understand how strained until now. She had noticed that Ted showed more favor toward Sutton, but she'd never gotten the impression that Kristin favored Laurel. Looking through Sutton's eyes, however, she could see where that idea came from. Sutton was not booksmart and Laurel was. Maybe one too many gloats Laurel pushed that idea into Sutton's mind.

Sutton brushed another tear from her eye and continued, "I'm not perfect, Mom. I'm not as smart as Emma or Laurel. I'm not as gracious or soft-spoken as them either, but I am your daughter. I need you to be proud of me. I need you to accept me as me."

Emma reached for Sutton's hand and held it. This was her way of telling Sutton that she was still there for her, but she had to see what Kristin was doing. Kristin looked hurt, as if she'd just been kicked in the stomach one too many times. She thought Kristin might just storm out of the room, too hurt to speak, but she didn't. She looked at Sutton, eyes glistening with tears and said, "Sutton, I am proud of you and I'm sorry I don't say it as often as I should. You always were the self-reliant one. When you want to do something there is no stopping you. I love that you will do anything for your friends. I love that you don't let anyone dissuade you from what you want. I love that you are so independent. You march to the beat of your own drum and that's okay. I think _you_are perfect just as you are. I'm sorry I haven't made that clear."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Sutton accused.

"No I'm not. Sutton, I know I've put a lot of pressure on you about school and maybe I've been unintentionally critical of you, but it doesn't mean I prefer Laurel. Yes, I sometimes wish you got as good of grades as Laurel, but I also wish Laurel would stand up for herself the way you do. I wish she was as outgoing as you are. I wish she fought for what she wanted the way you do. There are a lot of things I love about Laurel, but there are a lot of things I love about you too. Just because they aren't the same things doesn't make them any less important."

"You really mean that?"

"Sutton, I am sorry that I made you feel like I didn't love you as much as I love Laurel. You always connected better with your father anyways. From now on I will try and be more public about how proud I am of you. I will try and show you that I do accept who you are. I never meant to make you feel like this. I love you and Laurel equally. You might not be biologically related to me, but you are my daughter and no matter what you do that will never change."

Sutton walked over to the other couch and threw her arms around Kristin, making Emma smile. The most painful thing for Emma to see when you first arrived in Phoenix was how much Sutton had hurt Kristin. Now it made sense. Sutton was nothing like Kristin's biological daughter and for Sutton to compete with that bond had to have been hard. Emma knew what it was like to compete with a parent's bond with their actual child. They always took their side even if they were wrong. For Sutton, who wasn't exactly the most emotionally stable individual, it must have seemed like Kristin did prefer Laurel because she was her biological child.

The two finally released each other to show Emma that they were both crying. That's when Emma realized her own tears burning her cheeks. Sutton had finally made amends with the person she felt had hurt her the most in life. She had taken a huge step toward letting go of the past and moving forward toward the future, but it wasn't the biggest step. Sutton still had to face the fact that her dad had been one of the masterminds of the entire scheme and Emma was afraid of how those two personalities would clash when everything came to blows.

"Thank you for understanding," Sutton said to Kristin, "I wasn't sure if you would."

"Sutton, you are my daughter. It is my job to try and understand you. What you said made perfect sense and I will do everything I can to make sure you never feel that way again."

"I just want you to be proud of me, Mom."

Kristin was silent.

"This is where you're supposed to say you are proud of me."

"I'm sorry it's just that you called me Mom. You haven't called me anything but Mother for months now."

"Do you want me to call you mother?"

"No," Kristin quickly answered, "I like Mom...and I am proud of you, Sutton. No matter what."

The two pulled each other into another hug, and Emma couldn't help but smile. Kristin was a good mom and she was glad Sutton was finally seeing it. Sutton needed Kristin right now. She needed a parent whom she could trust, because she was about to realize how much Ted had kept from her. Emma didn't know all of the details, but she knew there were a lot of them missing and that Ted and Alec were the reason that was true.


	31. Forward

Chapter 30: Forward

The following morning, Laurel sat at the breakfast table waiting for both Sutton and Emma to come down. Emma had spent all evening doing homework, while Sutton had spent her night explaining the situation to as many people as possible. It was an entertaining difference between the two twins. As she sat at the table she tried to predict which one would be downstairs first. Her bet was Emma, but Sutton could be surprising. She had left home for weeks to follow a lead on her birth mother and asked her twin sister, whom she'd never met in person to take her place. Yes, Sutton could be surprising.

Moments later, Laurel heard the click of Emma's crutches coming down the hallway. As she turned the corner, Laurel was surprised by how much she looked like Sutton. If it hadn't have been for the crutches, Laurel probably wouldn't have been able to tell which twin it was. Emma took her seat next to Laurel and her mom placed a plate of food in front of her. Emma looked at the food, but she didn't start eating immediately.

"What's wrong, Emma? I thought you liked pancakes," her mom said.

"I do," Emma responded, "I'm just not that hungry."

"Are you nervous about today?"

"Yeah," Emma conceded, "I don't really know what's gonna happen, though."

"If it makes you feel better," Laurel started, "I'm sure most of the school already knows the situation. I mean, your twin sister is one of the most popular girls in school, and she spent most of her evening on her phone and laptop."

Emma smiled, but it was obvious she was still nervous. Laurel was sure Emma had never been the popular girl and now she was about to be thrust into popularity while also having to face the consequences of lying to everyone. Laurel got the feeling that Emma didn't like to be the center of attention. She'd put up with it while pretending to be Sutton, but that was because of who Sutton was. Now, all eyes were gonna be on her, as Emma. It had to be a little scary.

As Emma picked up her fork and attempted to eat at least some of her breakfast, Laurel heard the familiar _click-clack_ of Sutton's heels coming down the hallway. She walked into the room looking excited for the day, the complete opposite of Emma. She jumped into her seat, smiling her perfect smile waiting for her breakfast. As Kristin placed the pancakes in front of Sutton, Laurel expected her to throw a fit. After all, Sutton was supposed to hate pancakes, but Sutton did something Laurel had never seen before. She picked up her fork, cut up the pancakes, and began to eat them.

"Thanks Mom," she responded, "this is really good."

Laurel almost fell off of her chair. Sutton, the real Sutton, had never been a fan of anything with carbs. Now she was thanking their mom for making them? What had she missed yesterday? Even the conversation at dinner had been pleasant. Emma seemed to have made up with her dad and Sutton just seemed to be in a good mood. She'd even convincingly feigned interest in Laurel's life. What had happened yesterday to flip the switch from a tension filled household to what she was staring at right now?

"Your welcome, Sutton," Kristin responded a little surprised herself, "Oh Emma, your social worker called. Your meeting with her is at 5. Sutton, could you give her a ride over there?"

Laurel was ready for Sutton typical answer. She never did anything that didn't directly benefit her, but to her surprise she said, "Sure no problem."

This was beginning to sound very similar. It was as if Laurel was back in the kitchen the first day Emma was here and she was listening to Emma speak, but it wasn't Emma. It was Sutton. Sutton really was acting this way. There was no other person. Sutton and Emma weren't triplets and now she was meeting the third one. At least she hoped not.

"Oh Laurel," Sutton said in her ever so Sutton tone, "Do you need a ride home after school, or is your new boyfriend going to take you home?"

"Did you just offer to do something nice...for me...without any personal gain toward yourself?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yeah it kinda is."

"Laurel!" Her mom snapped.

"Don't tell me you're not as surprised as I am. Since when do you do anything for me or anyone besides yourself?"

"Laurel can I speak with you in private?" Sutton requested.

Laurel looked at Emma and her mother. Both seemed to be urging Laurel to agree, but she didn't want to agree. She didn't want to have a conversation with Sutton alone, "Whatever you have to say to me you can say right here?"

"Alright," Sutton conceded, seeming to fight back the frustration, "I am so sorry for how awfully I've treated you. I was angry and I took it out on you."

"Okay maybe we should have this conversation in private," Laurel conceded jumping out of her chair. They went around the corner and Laurel turned on Sutton defensively, "Whatever you really wanted to say, you can say it now. No one will hear you."

"Laurel, that is what I wanted to say."

"Seriously? Then what's your endgame. Are you going to make me trust you just long enought to pull another lying game prank on me? Sutton Mercer doesn't do anything without an hidden motive."

"Laurel, I nearly died trying to avenge all of the lies that our parents have told me about my adoption. I spent the last six months resenting them for everything. I don't want you to feel the same way about me anymore. I was angry and jealous and a complete bitch to you for most of your life. In the past couple days, I have to come to realize how good I have it. I really am sorry for how I treated you all of these years and I don't expect you to forgive me, but could you at least give me a chance to prove that I'm changing?"

"Why were you jealous of me? Last year I was your AP dork of a sister. I was nothing compared to you."

"Laurel you have something with our parents that I can never have. You are their biological child, their DNA, you are theirs. For a long time I thought that meant they preferred you over me, because if they'd waited just six months they wouldn't have adopted me. I envy the fact that they can say you get this from Dad and that from Mom. I don't get to say that. I don't get to say I get my hair from Dad or anything like that. That was a big deal for me. It wasn't your fault, but I did take it out on you."

"Wow Sutton," Laurel stated, "I never knew you had an actual heart."

"Uh," Sutton sounded as her jaw dropped, "Okay I probably deserved that."

"Yes you did," Laurel stated, "now are we gonna hug or something? I sorta got used to it when Emma was playing you."

Sutton pulled her into a tight hug, "I really am sorry. You didn't deserve it."

Laurel pushed away from her, "It's okay. As long as I can still be incredibly witty and sarcastic self, I'm happy you're changing."

"I am too."

* * *

><p>Emma's social worker, Michelle, sat down at her desk considerably earlier than she usually did. The whole Emma Becker case was becoming more and more convoluted. The girl had faked her sister's identity so that she could go to Los Angeles to find her birth mother without any results from it at all. If it weren't for the other twin's adoptive mother verifying her story, she would've thought the kid was crazy. She'd been through her file, which really didn't have much in it besides her constant moves. It was actually really weird. There were a few abuse reports and a couple other incident reports, but not much else. On the one hand there was nothing to keep her from not going to a good foster home. On the other it just looked odd to Michelle. She was going to have to speak with Emma about it. Now, it was just a matter of waiting until Emma got out of school.<p>

As she took a sip of her morning coffee and glanced through the file one more time she noticed a shadow come over the paper. She glanced up to see an unfamiliar woman standing over her.

"May I help you?" Michelle asked politely.

"Are you in charge of Emma Becker's case file?"

"Yes, who might be asking?"

"I'm Ruth Peterson, her birth mother, and I have a request for you."


	32. Confrontation

Chapter 31: Confrontation

Sutton drove her BMW down the road toward Arroyo for the first time in weeks. The top down, wind blowing through her hair, this was who Sutton was. She looked at her two passengers. Emma was in the front seat, shifting and reshifting her weight. The girl could not sit still for even a second.

"Why are you so nervous, Emma?" Sutton asked.

Emma looked at Sutton as if she'd been snapped out of a trance, "You saw my life in Vegas. I've never been the center of attention, and I've never wanted to be the center of attention."

"You managed to pull it off for the past few weeks without anyone noticing."

"I'm really good at hiding how I truly feel," Emma explained, "It's a necessary skill in foster care."

That shut Sutton up. Anytime Emma pulled out the foster care card, even though it was unintentional, she made Sutton feel really awful about how she'd dealt with her own situation.

"I guess I'm just scared to be myself when I've been someone else to these people for so long," Emma stated when she saw Sutton wasn't replying.

"Well you're going to have to," Sutton snapped, "You can't keep pretending to be me."

"I know," Emma responded, "It's a lot of work trying to be you. I don't even know how you do it everyday."

Sutton glanced at Emma through her Dolce sunglasses to catch Emma smiling at her. So this was who Emma was. She was almost as bad as Laurel sometimes. No wonder those two had hit it off. Sutton turned her attention back toward the road, "Why do you think I spend most of my time on my computer? It's how destress from having to be me all of the time," Sutton joked.

Emma giggled and Sutton caught a disgusted snort escape Laurel. She glanced in her rearview mirror to see Laurel's thumbs flying over the keyboard of her phone.

"Who are you texting so fiercely?" Sutton taunted.

"Who do you think?"

"Is she ever not talking to Justin?" Emma questioned.

"What's his story anyways, Laurel?" Sutton asked.

"He's from Portland and after his parents died he moved down here to Phoenix so he could get a golf scholarship."

"He moved to Phoenix just to get a golf scholarship?"  
>"Arroyo has one of the best golf programs in the country and he needs a golf scholarship to pay for college. Anyways, he was living in this forclosed home, but then Mom and Dad tracked me down using my cell phone signal and found out the truth. I begged Dad to help him so now he lives above the clubhouse at the country club."<p>

"Aren't you forgetting something, Laurel?" Emma hinted.

Laurel looked confused.

"Ted and Kristin didn't just find her in the house hanging out. They found her at, was it, 3 in the morning sleeping in his arms."

"You didn't," Sutton exclaimed, "Oh my god Laurel this is huge."

Laurel smiled in the backseat as her fingers flew over her keyboard. So her little sister had...it was too weird to even think about. All of the sudden the mood in the car had shifted to happy instead of awkward. The three of them were laughing as if nothing had happened.

What did Mom and Dad do?"

"I told them we were waiting," Laurel explained, "and they backed off...until Mom found a condom in the wash. Still, they didn't freak out as much as I thought they would."

"I still cannot believe you, Laurel, actually did it."

"Well I did, so why don't we just stop talking about it. When was your first time, Emma?" Laurel abruptly asked.

The car got eerily silent. Sutton and Emma both glanced at each other, remembering what Sutton had said to Emma at the cabin. She'd taunted her sister for waiting. She'd made it a joke in Emma and Ethan's relationship. Now she was regretting it. She hadn't meant it that way. Sometimes she wished she'd waited.

"I haven't yet," Emma responded, not looking at Sutton.

"Seriously?"

"I just never found the right guy or any guy for that matter."

"Wow that's..."

"...the way to go," Sutton finished Laurel's sentence, "Sometimes I wish I'd waited."

Sutton hoped Emma could read between the lines. It was her discrete way of telling Emma that she was sorry for what she'd said at the cabin. Sutton glanced at Emma and she saw Emma mouth the words, "Thank you," to her. Sutton smiled and focused back on the road. They were about to pull into Arroyo and make history.

* * *

><p>As Sutton's BMW pulled into the parking space at Arroyo, Emma squeezed her eyes closed. She needed a minute to compose herself. She was about to face all of the lies. She was about to see just how far she'd dug herself in. At the meeting with her new teachers the day before they'd all been silent, either pitying her or silently fuming over what the two of them were about to get away with.<p>

_Inhale...Exhale...Inhale...Exhale_, Emma thought to herself. She just needed to breath. Sutton was right. She had pulled this off for weeks, so why was she so terrified? She knew exactly why she was terrified. She'd managed to convince herself she was doing it for Sutton. It was what Sutton wanted her...needed her to do. Now she was doing it for Emma. She couldn't fall back on the idea that it was for Sutton. Her want to be popular, her want to fit in was entirely selfish. It was the first time, Emma had ever been completely selfish in a desire. She wanted this and she had to take it. She took one more deep breath and hopped out of the car.

Immediately, she was bombarded by the hushed discussions going on all around them. Emma was suddenly acutely aware of how many people were standing in the parking lot, trying to hide the fact that they were all staring at her and Sutton. She wanted to get back in the car and drive away. She didn't want to be the center of attention. This was all new and absolutely terrifying. She wanted to run, back to her own life, back to what was comfortable. She wanted to run back to what she knew.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Emma muttered.

"As long as it's not on my shoes," Sutton retorted.

"Seriously?"

"I'm kidding. Seriously, Emma, you need to calm down. You don't have to do any of this alone. I will be with you every step of the way. Well, until we go to class, because you are way smarter than I am, and I would never last five minutes in any of your classes."

"We're both taking Chemistry."

"Do you seriously think I would be any good at Chemistry?"

Emma didn't answer that rhetorical question. She snickered and then looked to Sutton, "Thank you."

"Let's just get through today," Sutton responded, "When you're the second most popular girl in school, then you can thank me."

Emma smiled and nodded. She looked forward and both her and Sutton strutted/hobbled toward the school. Emma could feel everyone's eyes burning into the back of her skull. She felt her stomach turn over and had to gulp down the rising bile. She really did need to calm down. She hoped that she conveyed more confidence than she actually felt.

The moment her and Sutton pushed the front door open, the hallway quieted to hushed whispers. Emma looked at Sutton. She was staring striaght ahead with a slight smile and daring eyes. It was a little scary, because it was the same look she had on her face when she'd seen her at the cabin. It was calculating, daring, and very confident. Emma relaxed her shoulders as much as she could, considering she was leaning on a pair of crutches. If Sutton could handle this, so could Emma.

Time seemed to slow as they walked through the hallway, making Emma feel more and more like a caged animal on display at which everyone could ogle. Luckily her locker was close to the front door and Ethan was waiting for her. She'd told him her locker number last night and he'd promised to meet her there. There he stood, offering solace in what felt like hostile territory.

The moment she reached her locker, she smiled a friendly greeting to Ethan, "Hey."

"Hello Emma," Ethan greeted with a smile. He looked as unsure of how far to go as Emma was. First of all, they didn't want Sutton to feel uncomfortable. Second of all, she wasn't sure how much scandal the students of Arroyo could take.

"Oh you two are so cute," Sutton stated, "and so awkward right now. I'll just leave you two to talk by yourself for awhile. Emma, I'll be right over there fending off anyone who tries to get near you two."

Sutton stepped down the hallway maybe 15 feet and a whole flock of people surrounded her. Emma smiled and glanced back at Ethan. At first, the two just looked at each other. It was a little awkward, but that was part of who Ethan and Emma were.

Finally Ethan broke the silence, "I don't think that was a proper greeting."

"Oh you don't," Emma retorted, "well what would be a proper one?"

Ethan smiled, "This," he said pulling her chin up a little bit and gently pressing his lips to hers. She let him, holding the kiss just long enough, before pulling back.

"I like that one better."

Again the two began to lose themselves in each other's eyes. Just as Emma was about to lose all track of time in his dark eyes someone snapped her out of it, "Hey," someone said tapping her on the shoulder, "is it true that you're not actually Sutton and that the two of you switched places weeks ago?"

"It's true," Emma answered, resigning herself to her fate. She was going to have to answer this question at least a dozen times. She might as well get used to it.

"That's so cool," the boy exclaimed. Emma didn't know him personally. She'd seen him hang around school and the country club, but she didn't know his name. She didn't want to be rude, but she wanted to spend time with Ethan.

"What's your name?" Emma asked.

"Jake," he said.

"Jake. Ethan and I were kind of in the middle of something, so would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Yeah totally," he said backing away, "No worries."

When he disappeared from view, Emma turned back to Ethan.

"Wow Emma, that was very...Sutton of you."

"Is that an insult?" Emma questioned. She really didn't know and she really wanted to know. Sometimes acting like Sutton was a bad thing, but it could also be a good thing.

"Not necessarily," Ethan said, "You were assertive, but you weren't a bitch. It was nice to see you stand up for what you want."

"And what might that be?"

He didn't answer, he just glared at her with seering eyes. Then she pushed up onto her toes and kissed him again. As she pulled away, she felt a lasting spark on her bottom lip. She bit it with uneasiness and looked away. She'd never felt like this before and she didn't know what to do.

"Sorry to interrupt," Emma heard a more refined version of her own voice say, "but I need to borrow Emma for a second."

Sutton led Emma over to the group Sutton had been talking to. There were a couple guys and several girls Emma recognized as Nisha's usual crowd. Nisha, however, wasn't with them. She was probably sucking face with Luke somewhere else in the school.

"Alright," Sutton started, "this is Emma, my identical twin sister. We were separated at birth and then switched places several weeks ago. She's been pretending to be me this whole time."

"Is she the one that beat Nisha on the first day of school?"

"Well yes," Sutton admitted.

"I knew it," Emma heard Nisha's voice carry through the hallway, "I knew Sutton Mercer wasn't better than me. She had to send in her doppelganger to beat me."

She came to stand in front of everyone in her typical Nisha manner, daring Sutton to challenge her. Sutton didn't say anything. She just kept staring at Nisha, her weight shifted onto her right leg and her arms crossed over her chest. She looked the way Sutton usually looked, prepared and unafraid.

"Sutton Mercer speechless," Nisha exclaimed, "this is a new one. What's wrong, Sutton? Can't handle the truth? I'm not surprised, you never really could."

"You know what Nisha," Sutton started, "I used to think the only thing that mattered was being the best, was beating you. If this is what happens when you that becomes the only thing that matters, you can be the best Nisha. You can have the number one singles slot, you can have Luke, you can have everything. I don't want it anymore."

"Tired of trying to fake it," Nisha retorted.

"Fake what, Nisha?"

"That you fit in," Nisha said, taking a step closer, "That you are just like everyone else, that you belong here."

Nisha was exposing Sutton's greatest insecurity. She was afraid of what Sutton might do. Sutton's whole revenge campaign against Emma had been over a boy. It had been purely because Emma got Ethan. What was Sutton going to do now that her greatest nemesis was exposing her deepest secret: that Sutton Mercer was as insecure an anyone else. She grabbed Sutton's hand to try, "Don't do this," Emma whispered, "She's not worth it."

"At least my mother actually wanted me," Nisha stated, hoping to get the same reaction she'd gotten from Emma. They were right in front of the office. If Sutton slapped Nisha it would be all over for her. She would be suspended, maybe expelled. That couldn't happen, not now, "You're just a lucky little orphan who happened to have a rich family take pity on you."

"Stop it," Sutton ordered, in a very similar tone to Emma's at the cabin. Emma could hear Sutton choke on her own words as she tried to contain the tears.

"Oh I'm sorry," Nisha continued, "did I strike a nerve? Is the whole school gonna get to see the mighty Sutton Mercer fall? This only bothers you because you know that it's true. Sutton, you act like you are just like us, but in reality you are just a poser."

Emma looked at Sutton. Her eyes blazed with anger and tears threatened to pour down her face. Sutton was hurt and angry. Emma knew that it was a deadly combination. The last time Sutton had felt like this she'd tried to ruin Emma's life. She couldn't do anything either. Emma had tried to convince her to walk away, but Sutton now stood firmly in place. Her body shook from anger. Emma reached for Sutton's hand, only to see that it was shaking too.

"That's not fair," Sutton stated.

"What's not fair, Sutton? That I'm right," Nisha said taking a step forward, "No matter how many times someone tells you that it doesn't matter it doesn't change the fact that it actually does. You will never have the relationship Laurel has with your mother. You will never have that bond with her."

"You don't get to go there," Sutton responded.

"Why not? Isn't that how you feel? Isn't that what you've always felt? Face it, Sutton. Your birth mother didn't want you as her own and your adoptive mother will never love you like her own."

Sutton lunged forward, but someone stopped her. Emma turned to see Ethan holding her by the waist, keeping her from making a big mistake. Ethan pulled her back and restrained her by the arm.

"No surprise there," Nisha said, "children like her tend to lash out like that. It comes from being ill-adjusted. It happens to almost all _orphans_. I think it's time someone put Sutton in her place."

Sutton just crumbled in Ethan's arms. She turned away from Nisha and tried to compose herself. As Emma looked at her sister she saw how hard this was on her. Her body was still trembling, she was doing her best to control her breathing, and she looked like she might collapse at any second. Emma had to step in now. She'd done her best to leave it between Nisha and Sutton, but Nisha had gone too far. Something needed to be done.

"Looks like the great Sutton Mercer isn't so great after all."

"Is this how you get your kicks?" Emma questioned, "Do you just enjoy making everyone's life miserable?"

"She did this to herself. You and Sutton have been living fake lives. You are unwanted orphans who should..."

"...be in foster care."

"No, but you sure as hell shouldn't act like you're entitled to everything just because someone took pity on you. You are not special, you're not better. The truth is you are nothing and that's what you deserve."

"So you're saying, just because our mother had enough sense to know that she couldn't take care of us alone and wanted to give us a better life, we don't deserve the same opportunities as you? Just because we don't live with our biological parents, we don't have the right to a family, a home, love? Is that what you're saying Nisha? Are you telling me that the fact that I spent 14 years being bounced from home to home, getting abused by too many people to count, and never knowing where I might spend my next night is what I deserve? You think that because someone else made a decision for me I don't deserve to breathe the same air as you? I have spent too many years believing that bull shit to fall for it now."

Nisha was speechless. She couldn't even look at Emma or Sutton.

"Look who's speechless now," Emma responded, "That's right, Bitch. I have spent the last 14 years of my life feeling like I wasn't worth a damn. I spent the last 14 years believing that I really wasn't good enough. I spent the last 14 years a foster kid. No more though. Not even you and your incredibly ignorant comments can make me feel that way again."

Emma had hobbled as close to Nisha as she could get. As she turned around she was struck by how horrible Sutton looked. She had turned to watch the spectacle, but it looked like Ethan was supporting most of her weight. Emma could see tears streaking down her face. When she was within reach she put her hand on Sutton's shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Sutton nodded, but it was apparent that she wasn't. Her legs were shaking so bad she could barely stand. Emma had never seen Sutton like this. She didn't know what to do.

"Hey Emma," she heard Nisha say.

Emma turned back to Nisha to see a hand about to slap her across the face. Emma grabbed Nisha's arm just before it came into contact with her cheek. One of her crutches dropped to the ground, landing with a loud crash against the utterly silent hallway, "Very nice, Nisha," Emma said twisting Nisha's arm behind her back, "but you have never been in my league, and you never will."

Emma leaned heavily on her other crutch and pushed Nisha away, trying to remain standing as she did. Emma turned to look at Sutton just as the bell rang through the silent halls. No one moved and Emma felt very uncomfortable. Everyone was looking at her, they were staring at her and it really bothered her. She wanted to help her sister without having to deal with a bunch of ogling eyes. She looked at Ethan, begging him to do something.

"Alright show's over," she heard Ethan shout, "there's nothing more to see here."

To Emma's surprise the crowd began to disperse. People began making their way to class until finally it was just Emma, Ethan, and Sutton standing there. She could now focus on her sister, who looked pale and weak. Emma could feel Sutton shaking as she placed her arms on her shoulders. Emma had a feeling she knew what this was.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Emma responded, "help me get her over to the bench."

Ethan gently guided Sutton over to the bench outside the office as Emma reached for the crutch that had fallen to the ground. Sutton slowly took a seat. Sweat had begun to run down her face and she looked like she might be sick. Emma took a seat next to Sutton and put her hand on her back, trying to get her to calm down.

"Sutton, talk to me?"

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe."

"You're okay, Sutton," Emma tried to comfort, "You just need to calm down. Take a couple deep breaths and tell yourself you're okay."

Sutton tried to slow her breathing. She took deep breaths and kept trying to believe she was okay. Emma watched on, hoping this would work. She hoped this was what Emma thought it was. She hoped she could handle this, but Sutton was scaring her. She looked really bad.

* * *

><p>Ted held his phone to his ear as he waited for the person on the other line to pick up. He'd noticed a missed call and a voicemail on his phone as he was finishing putting on his scrubs. It had been Emma's social worker, Michelle. She told him to give her a call back when he could. Apparently she needed so important information from him. Now he was alone in the on call room waiting for her to pick up.<p>

"This is Michelle," she greeted.

"Hi Michelle, this is Dr. Ted Mercer," Ted responded, "You asked me to call you."

"Ah Dr. Mercer. Listen, something has been brought to my attention that I believe we need to discuss. Is there a time today where you could speak with me in person? It's very important that I speak to you before I place Emma in a home."

"What's this about?"

"I had a Ruth Peterson come speak with me today and she brought up something very important to Emma's placement. I think you know what I'm talking about and I believe this is conversation you would like to have in person."

Ted had a feeling he knew what this was about. If Ruth Peterson was actually Annie, and it had to do with Emma's placement then there could only really be one thing she wanted to discuss. Ted sighed, "Can I meet you right now?"

* * *

><p>AN: First of all, thank you for all of the great comments. Second I just want to say that this scene was very difficult to write and would like feedback about it. If you feel it should've gone differently please either message me or write a review. I will take your comments into consideration and I might edit it.


	33. Support

Chapter 32: Support

"Feeling better?" Sutton heard Emma say. It had been several minutes since the showdown. The bell had rung just after it had ended and the other students had scattered off to class. In the passing minutes, she'd managed to slow down her heart rate and get her breathing under control, but she was still freaked. What had just happened?

Sutton nodded and she did feel better, but she wasn't okay.

"What happened, Sutton? You looked like you were about to destroy Nisha and then all of a sudden you just crumbled," Ethan asked.

"I don't know. It started when she called me a poser. My chest got really tight and I just got this feeling that something bad was going to happen. Then when she said I needed to be put in my place it all hit me. I couldn't breath, I started shaking, I felt absolutely terrified. Emma, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You just had a panic attack," Emma explained.

"A what?"

"A panic attack. The tightness in your chest, the hyperventilating. When Nisha threatened you, it triggered a scared or panicked feeling and your body started to react to it. It's not a big deal."

"Then why did I feel like I was going to die? And why do I feel like my stomach's tied up in knots? How is this not a big deal?"

"It's a reaction to stress, Sutton. A lot of people have to deal with it."

Sutton felt her stomach flip and she thought she might puke, but she pushed it down and tried to breathe deeply. It wouldn't be good if she triggered another attack by freaking out about just having a panic attack. Sutton wiped the sweat off her brow and tried to keep herself from shaking. This would all be over soon, wouldn't it?

"Sutton," Emma stated, snapping Sutton out of her own thoughts, "be honest with me. How are you feeling?"

How did she feel? Her stomach was still in knots. Her chest was still a little tight and heavy and she was feeling a little lightheaded. She could still feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, but she was sure that wouldn't last very much longer. She really thought she should go home, but she promised Emma that she would be there for her. She looked at Emma and said, "I'm okay."

"Really? You don't look okay. If I'm being honest you look horrible."

"Thank you, Emma," Sutton exclaimed, "that's really helping my stress levels."

"I'm sorry, but I know how this works, Sutton. You need to go home."

"But I promised you I would be there for you," Sutton explained.

"And I am glad you're trying to stick to your word, but I don't think I need you to hold my hand anymore. I just took on Nisha and won. I think I can survive the rest of the day."

"Besides," Ethan jumped in, "I'll be there."

"You sure," Sutton clarified.

"Right now I am more concerned about your health than my own fears of fitting in. Now come on. I'm taking you to the nurse."

Before they could stand up Principal Smith stepped out of the main office and glared at the twins. He looked angry and irritated. As Sutton saw him approach she felt the panic rise back to the surface. The knot in her stomach tightened and she began to hyperventilate again.

She felt a hand on her back and she knew it was Emma, "It's okay Sutton," Emma started, "you're going to be okay."

"Miss Mercer, Miss Becker," Principal Smith said, "I need you in my office right now."

Sutton was too panicked to answer him, so Sutton had to answer for them, "Sutton's not feeling very well, Sir. I was just taking her to the nurse's office."

"I'm sure she can sit through one conversation," Principal Smith stated, "Now, in my office right now."

"Mr. Smith," Emma protested, "Will you at least allow us to call Mrs. Mercer? She's gonna have to pick up Sutton."

"I already have."

"What's this about?"

"I believe you and Miss Randall got into an argument just before class today. It has come to my attention that some inappropriate things may have been said and I would like to get down to the bottom of everything."

Sutton started hyperventilating again. What was going to happen? What had Nisha told Principal Smith? Was she going to be in even more trouble than she already was? She was really trying to turn everything around. If she got in more trouble that would become almost impossible.

"What's wrong with her?" she heard Principal Smith question.

"She's having a panic attack, sir. You've got her all freaked out about whether we are in trouble or not. Sutton, calm down. You're going to be okay."

She began to hyperventilate even more and she really thought she might be dying. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and she was going to pass out. The knot in her stomach tightened and she felt terrified.

"Sutton," she heard Emma call, "You're going to be okay. You just need to calm down. Ethan, give me your lunch."

She heard Ethan and Emma exchange something that sounded like a paper bag. Then she heard a couple thumps on the ground, just before Emma placed the paper bag up to her mouth. A few moments later, she'd stopped hyperventilating and was feeling much better about everything. There was still a tightness in her chest, but at least she felt like she could breathe again.

As Sutton pulled the bag away from her face and handed it to Emma. She tried to stand but her legs shook under the weight and she had to sit. "Can you just tell us what this is about right here?" Emma asked.

"Mr. Whitehorse, I believe you have a class to get to."

Sutton looked at Ethan. It was obvious he didn't want to leave, but Emma pushed him away, "It's okay Ethan," she said, "I've got this."

Ethan nodded and slipped down the hallway. Sutton was impressed by her twin's assertiveness. Was it really just a matter of having her get into an argument with Nisha that would flip the switch in Emma?

As Ethan disappeared around the corner, Principal Smith asked, "What all did Nisha Randall say to the two of you?"

"She just tried to make us feel like dirt. She said we were unwanted little orphans who were just lucky someone took pity on us. Then she said Sutton need to be put in her place."

"Miss Becker did you ever physically harm Miss Randall?"

"I grabbed her arm when she tried to slap me across the face," Emma explained.

"So Nisha Randall did try and slap you before you ever touched her?"

"Yes."

"Okay, thank you."

"Wait," Sutton said, "Is Emma in trouble?"

"No Miss Mercer," Principal Smith said, "Neither you nor Miss Becker are in trouble."

"Then why did you call my mom?"

"I thought she should be aware of the situation. We take bullying very seriously and I assure you Miss Randall will be punished."

"That's not necessary," Emma jumped in.

"Miss Becker, are you asking me just let this whole thing go?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking," Emma said, "Look Mr. Smith, I don't think anything you do to her is going to be worse than the public humiliation she just endured. If anything it's only going to make matters worse. So please just drop it."

Sutton knew Emma was right. If Principal Smith got involved it would only add fuel to Nisha's fire. They needed to let this one go. They needed to leave the situation as it was, "I do still have to inform Mrs. Mercer of the situation," Principal Smith explained.

Emma nodded and Sutton followed suit. The knot in her stomach seemed to unravel and the heaviness in her chest seemed to lift. She smiled at the thought of this panic attack being over. Nisha may or may not use the fact that Emma had again stepped in on her behalf, but Sutton didn't care. She liked having people who would stand by her and help her when she needed it. She didn't care that Emma had protected her. She'd needed to be protected. She loved having Emma as a sister. It meant she always had an ally.


	34. Parenthood

Chapter 33: Parenthood

Half an hour later, Ted took a seat in front of Michelle, fairly certain of what she was going to talk about. It was the one secret he had always wanted to stay that way, but he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. He looked at her waiting to see what this is about.

"Thank you for coming to speak with me," Michelle stated, pulling out Emma's file, "Now, one of the options for a foster child is to place them with a living relative. Mrs. Peterson has explained that she is unable to take her, but she said the father might be willing to do it. Is he?"

Ted sighed. He had made a mistake and he was paying for it now, "What happens if I do take her? Are you going to tell her?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I made a mistake, one stupid mistake and I've spent the last 17 years trying to make up for it. If this gets out, it will do more harm than good. I'm happy to give Emma a home, but I won't tear my family apart in the process."

"That's isn't best for anyone. However, your home is the best place for Emma. It's what she's familiar with so I'll make you a deal. I won't tell Emma or Sutton or anyone that you are their father. I won't do tear your family apart as long as you take the necessary steps to adopt Emma."

"So you just want me to file for adoption," Ted confirmed, "You'll keep this a secret if I formally adopt Emma."

"It will go in her file that you are her father and that she is living with you, but I'll make sure Emma and Sutton don't find out. It's the only way that I can allow her to stay with you. Do we have a deal?"

* * *

><p>Kristin Mercer sat in Principal Smith's office, wondering what was going on. Emma was sitting next to her, but she hadn't seen Sutton. The principal had called her and asked her to come in immediately. She hoped the two of them hadn't gotten in trouble on their first day back, but she couldn't be so sure. She'd spent way too much time in this office recently.<p>

"Thank you for coming in Mrs. Mercer," Principal Smith said.

"What's this about?" Kristin asked confused.

"Right before 1st period Emma and Nisha Randall got into an argument and some things were said that were not okay."

"Is Emma in trouble?"

"Not at all," Principal Smith stated, "It was Nisha that got out of line."

"She called Sutton and I unwanted orphans who were lucky that someone had taken pity on us. Then she threatened Sutton and tried to slap me." Emma explained.

"Well what am I doing here? Shouldn't you be talking to Nisha and her parents."

"I would," Principal Smith explained, "But both Emma and Sutton have asked me to let this one go."

"Why would you do that?" Kristin turned on Emma, "Didn't she hurt you? Didn't she hurt Sutton?"

"Well yeah," Emma stated, "but nothing Mr. Smith does to Nisha will be as bad as what she did to herself. She made a fool of herself in front of the whole school twice. First she put her foot in her mouth and then she failed in slapping a cripple across the face. Her reputation is ruined. I don't think she can hurt either one of us anymore."

"Are you sure?"

Emma nodded, "I just want this to be over and I'm sure Sutton does too."

"Alright," Kristin conceded. If Sutton and Emma thought they had everything under control, then Kristin would leave it at that for now. If it got worse, she would step in, but for now she had to trust Sutton and Emma, "Where is Sutton, anyways?"

Mr. Smith looked down, "That's the other thing," he started, "Miss Becker, maybe you should explain this as well."

Emma nodded, "So Nisha started in on Sutton. First she accused her of not fighting her own battles, which didn't seem to phase Sutton, but then Nisha brought up her adoption. She said that she didn't fit in and that she didn't belong and then she said that she was just a poor little orphan who happened to have a rich family take pity on her. When Nisha took it too far and threatened Sutton she sort of had a panic attack."

"What?"

"She said someone should put Sutton in her place," Emma explained, "It scared her, but she's okay now. She's resting in the nurse's office."

"I'm assuming you think I should take her home," Kristin presumed to Mr. Smith.

"I didn't even know it was a panic attack. Miss Becker here was the one who got Sutton to calm down."

"You helped Sutton," Kristin said to Emma.

"I used to get them all the time. When she started showing the same signs I do, I just did what I'd been taught to do."

Kristin smiled at Emma, "She's okay?"

"She will be," Emma assured, "It's just the body reacting to stress. Once her brain realizes that she's not in any real danger, she'll start to feel normal again."

Kristin relaxed her tense shoulders. Sutton hadn't even made it to her first class of the day. Emma looked a little shaky too, but after what'd she'd just dealt with, Kristin probably would be too. She wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders and pulled her into as good of a hug as she could. When she released her she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Emma answered, "I'm okay."

"Are you just saying that?"

"No," Emma said smiling, "I really am okay. I'm in disbelief of what just happened, but I'm okay. Really I just want to get to class."

"Alright then," Mr. Smith cut in, "Miss Becker you may go."

Emma stood and hobbled out of the room. When the door clicked shut behind her Kristin turned to Principal Smith, "Are you really going to just let this one go?"

"I don't have to if you don't want me to, but according to everyone I've spoken to about this, Emma really did put Nisha in her place. I don't know if there is much more I can do."

"Nisha Randall threatened my daughter. I don't want to see her get hurt anymore. Promise me you'll keep an eye on the situation," Kristin proposed, "Both of them have been through a lot and I don't want someone taking advantage of that to hurt them."

"Will do Mrs. Mercer," he agreed, "now I believe there is someone else who needs to see you and she's in the nurse's office."

Kristin nodded and stood from her chair. She was proud that Emma had been able to take care of herself, but she was angry that she'd had to do it at all. No one should get to speak people like that and get away with it. If Principal Smith was correct than Nisha hadn't gotten away with it, but she still didn't like it. Sending someone into a panic attack was just uncalled for. As she made her way across the office toward the nurse's office she felt anger bubble up to the surface. She hoped Sutton was okay. That was the only way she was going to be able to let go of this.

As she stepped into the nurse's office, she spotted Sutton lying on a cot in the fetal position. She had her knees pulled up to the chest and she looked a little distant. Kristin kneeled down next to Sutton and put her hand on her shoulder. Sutton jumped a little at the touch, but she managed to recover quickly.

"How you feeling?" Kristin asked brushing a loose strand of hair out of Sutton's face.

"Tired, Embarrassed, Scared." Sutton explained, "I can't believe I had a panic attack over one of Nisha's stupid comments."

"They weren't stupid comments," Kristin explained, "They were cruel and unjust."

"But they were true," Sutton answered sitting up, "If you and Dad hadn't adopted me I could've ended up somewhere so much worse than I did. The only reason I live the life I do is because you and Dad pitied me enough to adopt me."

"We didn't pity you," Kristin explained, "We chose you. Sutton, we didn't think we could have children. When your dad arranged your adoption, no matter how shady it was, he was giving me everything I ever wanted. You were a blessing Sutton and no matter what Nisha said you have always been wanted."

"Thank you...for everything. I know I don't say it very often, but I really mean it. You gave me everything, when I could've had nothing. I really appreciate that, no matter what the reason."

Kristin smiled and pulled her daughter into an intimate hug. Sutton really was changing and Kristin liked it. She still had that same passion and fire that Sutton always had, but she was also becoming more compassionate and more appreciative. Whatever Sutton had been through in the past few weeks had really changed her. Kristin tightened her grip on Sutton and tired to hold back the tears. She was finally getting her daughter back and Kristin never wanted to let that go.


	35. Classes

Chapter 34: Classes

Emma hobbled toward her first period not sure of what to expect. It was AP English and she wasn't sure how many people had seen what had happened or if they'd supported her. Her first class was a classroom down from where everything had happened. As she tried to turn the door handle, she wondered whether the teacher had heard the disagreement. She stepped into the classroom and was met with sudden silence. The teacher, Ms. Wolfe, stopped her lecture and turned her attention on Emma.

"Miss Becker, nice of you to finally join us. Please take any open seat."

Emma nodded and took the seat in the second row by the door, still a little surprised that Ms. Wolfe had known who she was. She'd met all of her teachers yesterday in a meeting, so they wouldn't be blindsided, but it was still weird for someone she barely knew to already know her. As she pulled out her notebook she was painfully aware of all of the whispering going on around her.

"That's her," one girl whispered, "she's the one that made Nisha look like a complete idiot."

Either Ms. Wolfe didn't hear the comments, which Emma doubted, or she didn't care enough about them to acknowledge them. She just kept her lecture going, "So what is the significance of the Scarlet Letter? John?"

"It's a symbol of Hester's sin. She is forced to wear it because society dictates that she has to."

"But why is it so extravagant? If you had been branded an adulterer wouldn't you want to keep that as hidden as possible?"

"That's the point," Emma muttered to herself.

"What was that Miss Becker?"

Emma felt like a deer in headlights. She wasn't supposed to have heard it. Emma had read _The__Scarlet__Letter_ last year. She knew the book inside and out, but it didn't mean she wanted the class to know that. Emma cleared her throat, "It's supposed to be a symbol of shame, but for Hester it becomes a symbol of identity. Hawthorne is trying to show how arbitrary labels can be and how labels can change meaning over time. It's irony."

Ms. Wolfe nodded and continued her lecture. There was something friendly in her eyes, something that made Emma want to listen to her. Ms. Wolfe was a young teacher who probably held the boys' attention as well as she did because of her very apparent beauty. Usually Emma didn't trust a teacher like that, but something made her believe Ms. Wolfe was different. Even though she'd read _Scarlet__Letter_last year, she found herself taking notes on the lecture. Emma smiled. Hopefully all of her classes would go this well.

* * *

><p>Laurel bounced her leg as she waited for the bell of her first period to ring. She'd been across the school when the whole showdown had happened and she kicked herself for running off to her locker so quickly. She would've liked to see the whole thing in person, but she was just gonna have to wait for someone to post the video on Facebook. As she took another look at the clock she heard the familiar click of the door opening. Moments later a kid was handing the teacher an office pass.<p>

"Laurel," her teacher Mr. Nelson said, "it says you need to report to the office immediately."

She took the pass from him and stood. She never thought she would be this happy to get called down to the office. She actually found herself rushing toward it. She wasn't sure of what was going to happen, but at least she wasn't in that stupid class anymore. As she pushed the door to the office open she saw her mom standing by the front desk, "Mom," she greeted, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm sure you are aware of this morning's incident with Nisha Randall."

"I didn't see it, but I've heard what happened? Are Emma and Sutton in trouble?"

"No," her answered weightily, "but I am taking Sutton home."

"I thought you said she wasn't in trouble."

"She's not," her mom defended, "It's just that..."

At that point Sutton stepped out of the nurse's office looking worse than ever. It was a complete turnaround from her perfect appearance this morning and it shocked Laurel for a moment, "Sutton, are you okay?"

"I'm just not feeling too hot right now," she answered quickly, "look I'll tell you later. Right now I just want to curl up in my bed and sleep."

"Okay," Laurel called, "well feel better."

Sutton started making her way out of the office and her mom began to follow, but then she seemed to remember something, "Laurel," she said pulling out Sutton's car keys, "you get the car today. I know you had plans with Justin but it would be so great if you could take Emma to her meeting with Michelle. I'll meet you guys there and then you can go see Justin."

"Yeah no problem," Laurel said, "but Mom is Sutton really okay?"

"She's had a rough morning and I'm sure she'll tell you about it later. Right now she's just mentally exhausted and needs to get some sleep."

"Okay, well how's Emma?"

"Better than Sutton, but I'll tell you Sutton got most of Nisha's sharp tongue. She'll be okay soon enough, but right now she just needs time to recover. Okay?"

Laurel nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you later. Thanks for helping out and I'll see you later today."

Her mom raced to catch up to Sutton who'd made it out the door and was sitting on the bench outside. Laurel hadn't seen Sutton like this, well ever. Even when she was sick she kept everything together. Whatever Nisha had said had struck a major nerve with Sutton and that worried Laurel. She'd never seen Sutton ever show weakness and now she was at her weakest. Laurel reluctantly dropped the keys in her bag and headed back to class. This day was not going as expected.

* * *

><p>Ethan was sitting in his own class wondering what was happening to Emma. It had been so long since he'd seen Emma and Sutton and he was worried. Principal Smith had come out of his office looking very irate. Emma had texted him, letting him know that they were okay, but that had been half an hour ago. Were they still talking to Principal Smith? Was she okay? Was Sutton okay?<p>

Ethan could not believe Emma had told him to leave, but she had and he'd obeyed. He was worried about her, but she seemed to have everything under control. Maybe it was a sign of a change within Emma. Sutton had changed so much already, maybe Emma was changing too.

He slumped down in his chair, trying to focus on the teacher's lecture. He was going on and on about Napoleon and his invasion of Russia. Ethan didn't care about how stupid it had been. He didn't care about all of the repercussions. He wanted to see Emma. He wanted to know that she really was okay.

He glanced at the clock. Only ten more seconds before the bell rang. He closed his notebook and sat up in his seat. _Seven_. He put his notebook in his backpack and zipped it up. _Four__…__three__…__two_.

* * *

><p><em>Rrrring.<em> Emma heard the bell signal the end of class. She closed her notebook and shoved it into her backpack. She zipped it up and threw it onto her back, before standing. Just as she was about to hobble out she heard Ms. Wolfe say, "Emma, hold up a second."

Emma stopped and turned to face Ms. Wolfe, "Yes Ms. Wolfe."

"I wanted to speak with you about why you were late to my class this morning."

"I'm sorry about that, but…"  
>Ms. Wolfe put her hand up, signaling Emma to stop, "I know why you were late. My classroom is two doors down from what happened. It's not like I could just ignore it. Anyways, I wanted to make sure you were okay."<p>

"I'm fine," Emma responded for the fifth time today, "It's not like I haven't had to deal with it before."

"Right. You've been in foster care for the past 14 years, correct?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"You sort of shouted it at Nisha," Ms. Wolfe explained, "I'm pretty sure the whole school knows you're a foster kid."

"Right," Emma said, regretting that outburst. Now people would judge her for that before ever knowing her. It had happened at every single school, and now it was going to happen here.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ms. Wolfe explained, "You obviously don't fit any of the stereotypes associated with foster kids."

"Well thank you," Emma said, "Is there anything else you needed to speak with me about?"

"Yes," Ms. Wolfe said, seeming to remember something, "I compiled all of the work you need to do for my class."  
>She walked over to her desk and picked up a black binder. She walked back over to Emma and handed it to her. Emma took it and set it on the desk next to her.<p>

"I'm exempting you from the presentations and oral assignments, but you will have to make up the papers, exams, and reading activities. I have set due dates for each of the assignments and I expect you to meet each of those due dates. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ms. Wolfe," Emma responded, "Thank you."

Ms. Wolfe nodded and turned back to her desk. Emma leaned her crutches on a neighboring desk and pulled her backpack off her back. She placed it on the desk and shoved the binder in there. She slung it onto her back and hobbled out of the classroom.

As she stepped out she wasn't expecting Ethan to be standing right by the door. When she saw him she jumped, "Oh my god, Ethan. I didn't see you there."

"Obviously," Ethan responded, "I guess Humpty was on the wall again."

"Ha-ha," Emma said halfheartedly. She began to walk down the hall toward her locker. Her backpack was still loaded down with everything she'd brought today. She needed to get rid of some of it.

"So what did Mr. Smith say to you?" He asked as they walked down the hallway.

"He asked us what happened?" Emma responded, "I told him what Nisha said and did and that was the end of that."

"Why'd he call Kristin?"

At that point Emma had reached her locker and opened it. She handed Ethan her crutches and began emptying her backpack into her locker, "He wanted to tell her what happened and she needed to take Sutton home."

"So you're not in trouble."

"Nope, he actually wanted to punish Nisha but I asked him not to do that."

"Why would you let her get away with this? She threatened Sutton. She tried to hurt you."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to add fuel to Nisha's fire. Think about it Ethan. She just got humiliated in front of the entire school. Nothing he does to her is going to be worse than that and it's just going to piss her off even more."

"That's true," Ethan acknowledged, "Can I ask you a question though?"

"What?"

"What is it about Nisha that makes you act like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have never seen you so angry except for the two times you and Nisha have gotten into it. You didn't even get like that when Sutton was set to ruin your life."

"You mean why do I act like a complete bitch," Emma clarified, "I honestly have no idea. Whenever she starts attacking me or Sutton I just lose it. It's like someone else takes over and I have no control over what happens."

"Maybe you're just fed up with people trying to hurt you."

"But I didn't get this angry with Sutton and she was ten times more hurtful."

"But maybe that's the difference. Sutton is your sister. The things that she said cut deeper because of that. Nisha's just some girl whose trying to hurt you. Maybe you're reacting to the threat of getting hurt instead of the actual pain."

"So the fact that Nisha has no power over me is why I act so crazy. Are you sure it's not because Sutton's my sister and no matter how many times she hurts me I really can't hurt her in return and with Nisha I don't really care if I hurt her."

"Well there's that too. Just so you know, I liked seeing that Emma, the one that stands up for herself and her friends."

Emma pushed up on her toes and kissed him. He knew just what to say to her. She'd been afraid that her reaction was too extreme. She'd been afraid that pushing Nisha away was a little too extreme. Ethan had curbed her fears, but she still had to face the rest of the student body.

As if on cue Mads and Char walked up to her, "Oh my god that was amazing this morning. The whole school is talking about it. You're becoming known as the girl who took down Nisha Randall. Where's Sutton?"

"She went home," Emma explained.

"What? Nisha's gonna eat this up. Why would she do that?"

"Because she looked like she was going to pass out at any second," Emma defended, "Look Nisha ripped open some newly healed wounds. She didn't want to go home, but she needed to."

"Is she okay?"

"She will be," Emma responded, "Now tell me what exactly is everyone saying?"

The two of them delved into how everyone thought it was awesome and that Emma was now basically a hero. Emma was ecstatic. She'd stood up for herself and for once there weren't any negative repercussions. Nisha had been silenced. Emma had protected Sutton, and neither one of them had gotten in trouble. It was a good day. Emma really hoped that good luck would continue.


	36. Resolution

Chapter 35: Resolution

Later in the afternoon, Kristin was sitting across from Michelle, waiting for her to start talking. She'd asked her to come in a little early to talk to her about something. She didn't know what this was about, but she hoped it wasn't bad news.

"Thank you for coming in Mrs. Mercer," Michelle said, sitting down, "I want to speak with you about Emma. Now I spent all yesterday trying to find her a good home and I thought I found one, but it didn't seem right to place her with anyone but you and your husband. I spoke with my boss and we might be able to bend the rules if you're willing to do it."

"What are you saying?"  
>"I'm saying that if you are willing and able, I might be able to place Emma in your care. I spoke with your husband this morning and he said that he would be willing to file for Emma's adoption if you agreed as well."<p>

"You spoke to him…without me."

"He came to me. After we talked I tried to get you to come in and discuss this, but you weren't home. He had to go to work, so I figured I'd speak with you before Emma came in."

"I don't understand," Kristin explained, "I thought you said there was no way she could stay with us for another 4 to 6 months."

"We do try and give kids as much familiarity as possible. That's why we usually start with family. Sutton is Emma's only available family so it only makes sense to leave her in the same home as her sister. I just need to know if you are okay with that."

"What would we have to do?"

"It's not a simple process. You don't get to sign a piece of paper and be done with it. You will have to file all of the correct paperwork, which your husband already has. You will be subject to several home studies over the next few months to make sure Emma is in fact in a safe, stable home. You basically have to go through all of the same steps as any other adopting family. Are you ready for that?"

* * *

><p>Emma hobbled down the hallway toward Michelle's desk. Her stomach was in knots. She didn't know what was going to happen to her, not that she ever really did. This time it felt different. She didn't want to leave the Mercer home. She liked living with Sutton and Laurel and Ted and Kristen. It was the first time in 14 years that she'd felt at home. She didn't want that to end.<p>

She spotted Michelle and Kristin waiting for her. Emma paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Everything was about to change. She forced herself forward. When she reached Michelle's desk, she took a seat next to Kristin.

"Hello Emma," Michelle said, "how was your first day of school?"

"Can you just get to the point? I'd rather not prolong the agony."

"Okay," Michelle said, "Mrs. Mercer I think you should be the one to tell her."

"Tell me what?"

Kristin turned to look at Emma. She took Emma's hand and began, "Emma, how would you like to stay with us?"

"But I thought that couldn't happen?"

"I convinced my supervisor to bend the rules a little bit. I don't want to take you away from your only family. I've spoken to both Mr. and Mrs. Mercer and they have agreed to file for your adoption. They'll go through the same process, you'll just live with them during the process. Are you okay with that?"

"Of course I'm okay with that," Emma responded. Why wouldn't she be okay with that? She'd spent her whole life trying to find somewhere she belonged. Now that she'd found it, she hadn't wanted it to change. She didn't know how Michelle had managed to pull it off, and she really didn't care at this point. She was finally getting her happy ending. She was finally getting a home.

* * *

><p>Ted stepped into his house after rounds, feeling drained. Annie had exposed his biggest secret, but she'd done it to save their daughter. He could only hope that Michelle would keep her promise and not tell anyone the real reason Emma was being placed with him.<p>

He walked into the kitchen and noticed a note in Kristin's handwriting sitting on the counter.

_Ted,_

_ Hope you got my message about Sutton. Will explain in more detail when I get _

_ back from Emma's meeting. She should be in her room sleeping. Try not to _

_ disturb her. She needs the rest._

_ Kristin_

He'd gotten her message. She'd explained that Sutton had gotten sick at school and she was taking her home. Ted had been confused, because she'd looked fine this morning and the night before. He decided not to question it though. When he'd gotten the message he had just spent his morning trying to sort out Emma's "adoption." He really didn't have the power right now to question it either. He folded up the note and shoved it into his back pocket.

"Dad," he heard a voice say.

He looked up to see Sutton standing in the doorway. She looked exhausted, "Hey sport, how you feeling?"

"Okay," she responded, "when did you get home?"

"About five minutes ago," he explained, "Do you need anything from me?"

"No, I just came to get some water."

Sutton grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled with water from the tap. Then she started back to her bedroom, "Sutton wait," Ted called.

She turned back, "Yeah Dad."

"I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you in all of this. I really was just trying to protect you from getting hurt."

"I know," Sutton responded, "Dad I know my behavior over the past few months has not made it easy on you and Mom. I was acting like a spoiled brat and I didn't realize how much I had to lose until I almost did. I understand why you lied to me and I just want you to know that I'm done trying to find the truth. I don't care what about my past anymore. I just want to focus on what I have right now."

"Well that's a complete turnaround," Ted observed, "I'm not complaining, but what made you change your mind?"

"Let's just say I know how much I have to lose now and I don't want to lose any of it."

"Well I'm glad, Sutton. It's nice to have that daughter back."

"Dad," Sutton started.

"Yes Sutton."

"Am I too old for one of your hugs?"

"Never," he said, wrapping his arms around her. She squeezed back and buried her head in his chest.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Sutton," he responding squeezing her tighter. He needed to protect her from this final secret. If any secret needed to stay buried it was this one. He had made a mistake seventeen years ago. He never planned to have history repeat itself and he never wanted anyone to know about his indiscretion. It was in the past and he wanted it to remain there.


	37. Home

Chapter 36: Home

Emma hopped through the door in utter shock. She was getting a home. Not just a home, but the home she'd wanted. Her mind was going a million miles a minute. Everything she'd always wanted was finally coming true. As she hobbled into the living room, she was surprised to see Sutton and Ted laughing on the couch. She looked better, happier. Emma paused in the doorway and the two of them looked at her.

"Hey Emma," Sutton stated a little sullen, "I guess you're only here to pack up your things."

"Not exactly," Emma responded with a smile, "Ted, Michelle told me what you did for me. She told me that you agreed to file for my adoption. That means a lot to me."

"You're family, Emma. I can't turn my back on family."

"You filed for her adoption," Sutton said a little surprised, "Does that mean you're…"  
>Emma felt a smile stretch over her face and she saw Sutton's face brighten too. No more words were needed. Sutton jumped off of the couch and nearly tackled Emma to the ground.<p>

"I'm so glad you're staying."

"You are," Emma said happily.

"You're my sister, Emma. I know a week ago I was set to ruin your life, but now I don't know what I'd do without you. You really helped me and like our dad said, You're family."

Emma squeezed her tighter. This is what it was supposed to look like. She was supposed to love Sutton. She was supposed to get everything she'd ever wanted. This was the way it was supposed to be. As Sutton and Emma held each other, Emma felt a tear run down her face. She quickly wiped it away and smiled. For the first time in a long time there was no expiration date on Emma's happiness.


	38. Epilogue: 6 Months Later

6 months later

Emma jogged lightly around the corner and up the Mercer steps. Her knee surgery had been a success and she was improving quicker than her doctor ever thought possible. She pushed the door to her home open and stepped inside, pulling her earbuds out of her ears in the process. She could, suddenly, hear laughter coming from Sutton's room where her and Mads and Char were probably laughing about the latest piece of gossip. She was about to knock on their door when Sutton actually stepped out into the hallway.

"Oh hey Emma," Sutton greeted, "How was your run?"

"Fine," Emma stated, "Are Mads and Char in there?"

"Yeah. They got here about five minutes after you left. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Maybe after I take a shower," Emma conceded.

Sutton nodded and then headed down the hallway, texting away on her phone. Emma followed, noting that her knee didn't hurt yet. She rounded the corner into the kitchen where she saw Ted and Kristin speaking to each other fervently. When they saw Emma they stopped.

"What's going on?"

Sutton stood up, she'd been hunched over grabbing a soda from the fridge, "Yeah what is up?"

"We have good news," Kristin began.

"Emma, your adoption has been finalized. You are officially a Mercer."

Emma was speechless. She'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now that it was finally here, she didn't know what to think. She'd felt like a part of the Mercer family ever since she'd got there. Even when she was living Sutton's life she'd felt like she was supposed to be there. She thought she would be more excited.

"Emma," Sutton started, "You're officially a Mercer. Doesn't that make you happy?"

"It does," Emma realized, "It's just that I thought this moment was going to be one of just immense joy and it's not. I've felt like a part of this family for a long time now. I guess I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that it's true."

"Well I'm happy," Ted said, "If my girl's are happy, then I'm happy."

Emma smiled. Six months ago, Emma wasn't sure where she was going to spend the rest of her life. She wasn't sure whether her own twin sister would be her undoing. Now, that same sister wrapped her in a hug. She knew that she would spend the rest of her life as a Mercer. Her last name was still Becker, but if she really wanted to change it she could. For once in Emma's life everything had worked out. She'd managed to keep her perfect GPA and help boost Sutton's up as well. She'd gained some amazing friends and more memories than she could ever dream to have. Whatever secrets Alec and Ted were still hiding, and Emma knew they still were, she didn't care to know. Whatever happened all those years ago didn't matter. What was happening in that moment was what Emma cared about. She wrapped her arms around Sutton and hugged her back, feeling, for once in her life, like she truly belonged.

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end. Thanks for all of the great comments again.


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